


Mother of All Lies

by TheRPL



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Banter, Best Friends, Bottom Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Eventual Smut, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Mentioned Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Mentioned Lee Taeyong, Mentioned Suh Youngho | Johnny, Mentioned WayV Ensemble, Minor Original Character(s), Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Roommates, Smut, Top Qian Kun, ten's mom is a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:06:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27266173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRPL/pseuds/TheRPL
Summary: “Shit, my mom’s birthday is coming up,” suddenly announced Ten. Kun turned around to see him frown at his phone.“Oh!” exclaimed Kun. “We should go shopping for a gift. Any ideas?”Ten had disapproval written all over his face. “You, Qian Kun, will not do anything. I, her biological son, will buy her a gift.”“Come on! I think she liked the flowers I had delivered last year.”“Oh, she did!” exclaimed Ten. “That’s all she could talk about the whole time I was there. ‘Kun this, Kun that, oh my god, Kun is so perfect’,” said Ten in a high pitched voice meant to imitate his mother. “At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if she loved you more than she loves me.”“Wouldn’t blame her,” muttered Kun only to have Ten stab him with a fork.*Fake dating AU where Kun and Ten are roommates and best friends. A series of unfortunate misunderstandings changes everything.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun
Comments: 265
Kudos: 627





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Buckle in for a series in 9 parts! Updated weekly.

It was late at night when Kun heard the keys rattling and the door opening with a bang. He heard shoes being removed carelessly and feet being dragged to the living room.

"Huh!" exclaimed Ten as he dropped his sports bag on the floor and collapsed on what Kun assumed what their sofa.

Indeed, when Kun turned around, he saw a Ten-shaped figure spread across the couch. He had showered and changed at the dance studio, Kun noticed, and was dressed in black sweatpants paired with a long-sleeved black shirt.

"It's late, Tennie," said Kun, eyeing the time displayed on his computer.

"I know," whined Ten. He flipped around to be able to look at his roommate. His shirt had raked up in the process, showing a sliver of the soft skin of his navel. Kun tried not to stare.

"You're late, too," observed Ten. "Still writing?"

Kun's only response to Ten was a low hum.

Yes, Kun had still been writing. Working as a freelance journalist while trying to finish a novel was no easy task. He spent most of his days sitting in front of his computer at the make-shift desk they had built for him in the living room. He had just given up on his assignment of the day when Ten had arrived.

He turned his computer screen off and turned to Ten.

"Long day of practice?"

Ten closed his eyes and brought up an arm over his face, which had the unfortunate consequence of raking his shirt even higher on his abdomen.

"Gave three courses today and then stayed late to work on my choreography."

"And how is that going?"

"It's going."

Ten looked exhausted, and Kun knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't get much more out of the man. Instead, he decided to retort with the best way he knew to care for his best friend.

"Hungry?" he asked, suddenly getting up. "Have you eaten?"

Ten seemed to perk up at the mention of food.

"Hum, yes, please. Food."

Kun smiled.

"I'll see what I can prepare."

It didn't take long for Ten to get off the sofa and join him in the small kitchen. Ten knew better than to get in Kun's way while he was cooking for them; the kitchen was tiny, and the counter space sparse enough that many battles had been fought over its use. Ten opted to sit down at their table for two, tucked in the corner of the room, and took turns watching him cook and looking at his phone.

Kun liked those silent nights spent together in each other's comforting presence. They might not have the most thrilling lives, or the greatest jobs, or the easiest time since their graduation, but they had each other.

"Shit, my mom's birthday is coming up," suddenly announced Ten. Kun turned around to see him frown at his phone.

"Is it soon the time of year you have to drive to the country and enjoy the most lavish food for an evening?" teased Kun.

Ten groaned. "Yeah. It will be a big one, this one. She turns fifty this year."

"Oh!" exclaimed Kun. He turned the burner off, having quickly fried for them leftover rice and vegetables. He put all of it in one plate and brought it to the table, along with two forks. It saved on the dishes, had always been their explanation.

Kun sat down and handed a fork over to Ten. "We should go shopping for a gift. Any ideas?"

Ten batted Kun's fork away with his own, disapproval written on his face. "You, Qian Kun, will not do anything. I, her biological son, will buy her a gift."

"Come on! I think she liked the flowers I had delivered last year."

"Oh, she did!" confirmed Ten, with a theatrical sigh. "That's all she could talk about the whole time I was there. 'Kun this, Kun that, oh my god Ten, Kun is so perfect'," said Ten in a high pitched voice, waving his fork around.

"Well, she had mentioned her favorite flowers were lilies. It wasn't exactly difficult to call a flower shop and have them delivered," Kun defended himself in jest. "It took five minutes!"

"And I heard about it for a full day!" complained Ten. "At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if she loved you more than she loves me."

"Wouldn't blame her," muttered Kun, knowing full well Ten had heard him.

He did not expect to get stabbed with Ten's fork.

"Ouch!"

"You deserved that."

"I did not."

Ten scoffed at him and resumed eating their fried rice. When they were finished, Ten naturally took the plate from him and started washing the dishes. Kun laid back in his chair, observing him, feeling content.

"I was gonna go shopping Saturday, I think. Try to look for something," finally said Ten.

"Oh, I'm free Saturday," replied Kun. He was already thinking about how they could make it a day. Shopping and a film would be nice.

"Yeah, I pictured," he heard Ten mock.

"Hey! I do things! I have friends!"

"We have the same friends. So unless you got yourself a super-secret hot date, I would know if you're busy or not."

"I could have a hot date."

He couldn't, Kun thought. He really couldn't. Not with being home all the time writing. Not with being with the same group of six boys constantly. Not when he had Ten come home to him every night.

"That would require getting out, and you're basically a recluse," voiced Ten.

"I'm a struggling writer. It's a lot more romantic if you see it this way."

"Sure," laughed Ten. The man put the dishes away and turned to Kun. "So, what do we say? We can get boba on our way there. Maybe catch a film afterward?"

It was like Ten could read his mind. "Only if you pay," he said instead.

"Sure," laughed Ten. He sent a wink his way. Whatever he was going to say next, Kun knew it would be outrageous. "I'll be your hot date on Saturday."

Kun hated whenever Ten said things like that.

*

Kun and Ten were not always friends. They had, however, always been roommates.

In sophomore year of college, a naive Kun had been excited to meet the person who would become his roommate for the new year. His first year's roommate had found a flat not too far off-campus, so that meant he would have to re-live the anxiety of the college roommate lottery.

The day before the start of the semester, after he had finished setting himself up, a knock had come at the door.

"Hey, hi!-" had started Kun before his greeting all but died down upon seeing the man at the door. At the entrance of his room stood a beautiful boy, smaller and significantly thinner than Kun, with sharp features and cat-like eyes. Kun thought he was breathtaking.

He was also staring at Kun.

"Hi," greeted the boy. "I'm gonna assume you're my roommate?" Even though it was framed as a question, the sarcastic tone made Kun understand it was a rhetorical one.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm Kun," he greeted, bowing slightly.

"I'm Ten," observed the other man, not returning the gesture.

Kun thought he was slightly aloof but decided not to pick up on it.

"Have you just arrived? Do you need help carrying stuff?" asked Kun, putting away the last of his bags. He had already sorted most of his things and organized his cramped desk the way he liked.

"Nah, my boyfriend is gonna help do that," answered the other boy, eyeing Kun's side of the room. "Wow, you're really organized, huh?"

Kun was starting to notice a pattern in Ten. He didn't really appreciate the passive aggressiveness of Ten's little comments.

"Yeah, I am," he confirmed, not ashamed in the slightest. "Don't worry, I don't care what you do on your side of the room," he added, trying to go for nonchalant.

"Hum." Ten looked at Kun again, giving him a once over before stepping back into the hallway. "I've got things to bring up."

"Sure," shrugged Kun. Usually, he would ask to help again, but Ten seemed to have things under control. So he sat back on his bed, put on his headphones, and opened up a book. He mostly ignored Ten's coming and going that day, barely registered the boyfriend too. In fact, he barely saw him over the course of their first few months of living together. He couldn't tell the moment Ten broke up with him during their Sophomore year. He wouldn't be able to remember the guy's name today to save his life.

Despite a difficult beginning, the roommate situation wasn't going too bad. In fact, Kun and Ten barely saw each other. Kun had plenty of classes, workshops, and seminars and spent a significant amount of time reading or working on assignments at the library or at cafes. Being a literature major meant reading dozens of books and producing book reports weekly.

Ten seemed to have an equally busy schedule. He was a dance major, Kun had learned, which explained the worrying amount of sportswear and loungewear the dancer owned. Whenever they were in the same room, they were cordial but not friendly. Ten would make a few comments here and there about his reading habits or posture while working, which always rubbed Kun the wrong way. He would answer with a detached "I don't recall asking your opinion about that", or an impassive "thank you for your input", before tuning Ten out.

Kun remembered the day the dynamics started to change. Kun had the habit of working with his friend Sicheng, who was in the same major. They met at least once a week in a little coffee shop off-campus. Mid-term had come, and Kun was overwhelmed with essays. He was working alongside Sicheng when he heard a familiar voice shout, "Sicheng-ge!" Both men raised their heads from their assignments to see Ten come in their direction, all smiles. He all but threw himself at Sicheng and hugged him tightly.

"Ten-ah. Sit down! What's up?"

Ten took a chair next to Sicheng. "I didn't know you knew my flatmate, Sicheng," said Ten, no sign of acknowledgment towards Kun.

"Hi, Ten, nice to see you here," greeted Kun sarcastically.

"Oh!" Sicheng's gaze went from Kun to Ten, and vice versa. "Kun, is your flatmate?"

"How do you know him?" replied Ten without answering the question.

He was really starting to get on Kun's nerves.

"Same major," said Sicheng, seemingly not at all bothered by the other man's attitude. He turned to Kun and pointed at Ten. "I've known this idiot here since high school."

"Hey!" protested Ten.

"High school?"

"Yeah, we're from the same hometown," answered Ten, speaking directly to Kun for the first time since he sat down.

"We go back a long time. So, Kun is your flatmate?" the question had been asked to Ten directly. It seemed like something passed between the two friends that Kun was not privy to. He didn't really care, he had an essay to write. He went back to his book. A short moment later, he heard Ten speak up.

"I don't wanna disturb you guys. I'll be on my way."

Kun raised his head to see Ten gather his bag and coat. "Did you come here to work?" Kun found himself asking.

Ten froze in his tracks and nodded.

"You can stay here," continued Sicheng, seemingly reading Kun's mind.

"Yeah, we've plenty of space," completed Kun, for good measure.

Ten stared a Kun, then at Sicheng, until he agreed. "Okay, yeah. Thanks."

He sat back down, unpacking a textbook and a ridiculously colorful pencil case Kun had seen on his desk before.

Kun didn't know how long they stayed there, but he found himself dozing. Time for coffee. He grabbed his wallet and got up.

"Coffee run, boys. What do you want?"

"Iced americano, thanks," muttered Sicheng, not raising his eyes from the novel he was reading.

Kun turned to Ten.

"Oh, I can get my own drink," said Ten, with an air Kun would have described almost as sheepish.

"No. What do you want?" insisted Kun.

"Huh. Americano, with soy milk, please."

"Sure." Kun went to get them their drinks. When he sat back down, Ten smiled at him. "I can reimburse you if you want-"

Kun interrupted. "Oh. No need. Just buy next time," he said offhandedly.

"Okay," said Ten. "Yeah, next time."

It turned out that Ten would sometimes join Sicheng and Kun in their little study sessions in their favorite coffee shop. Kun would even invite Ten ahead of time whenever he could catch him in their shared room. They weren't friends, Kun would say, but they were becoming ones.

It was true that Ten was not a person who was easy to know. He certainly didn't make it easy either. Case in point, Kun barely saw him with anyone. He never mentioned his boyfriend. What he saw of the boy was how hard working he was, how late he stayed at night in the dance studio to practice. The rest of the time, it seemed he spent studying with Sicheng and himself.

But through their study session, Kun felt like he had the time to observe and understand Ten. He learned to read his changing moods and to appreciate his sarcasm. He discovered that Ten liked to tease for no other reason than to get a reaction off someone. When he saw him interact with Sicheng, he witnessed what a comfortable Ten could look like with a friend. He was able to measure the progress he was making with him.

Then came the time of year—Ten's mother's birthday.

"I'll drive back, of course. At least this year it falls on a Saturday." Ten looked annoyed. They were at the cafe, and Ten had completely surrendered working on his paper. He started to complain to Sicheng. "I don't know why she always makes such a big deal of inviting the whole family."

"But I thought you loved spending time with your family!" exclaimed Sicheng.

"Yeah, but I don't know, it feels like I have to outdo myself every year, right? Buy her a better gift, look nicer every time, surprise her more."

"You don't need to do any of that. Just going is enough for her, I'm sure."

Kun stayed out of that conversation. He was eavesdropping on it, of course, but doing so while pretending to read a textbook. He had been stuck on the same page for a few minutes now, re-reading the same sentence over and over again. He had enough mind to flip the page and resumed pretending to read.

"There will be catering this year. Catering, Sicheng."

Their common friend reached out to rub Ten's arm, looking as patient as ever.

"You'll be fine."

Ten had not been, indeed, fine. Kun came back from spending his Friday night with his friend Yukhei, having a few drinks, playing video games, to a miserable looking Ten.

He was sat curled unto himself on his bed. His eyes were puffy, a clear sign that he had been crying, and his breathing was difficult. Kun had barely closed the door behind him that he was by Ten's side.

"Hey, Ten. What's going on?"

Ten's gaze seemed unfocused for a moment.

"Ten, please, Ten, look at me."

"I'm… I'm… sorry, it's just…" the younger stuttered.

"Can I… Is it okay if I sit here with you?"

Ten nodded. "Good. Hey, hey…" shushed Kun, sitting down next to Ten, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. He was scared Ten would not like the touch. It dawned upon him at that moment that they had never touched. But Ten seemed to deflate ever so slightly, so Kun dared to push further and slowly brought his hand up and down his arm in what he hoped would be a calming gesture.

"Is this helping?" asked Kun. "Is this okay?"

Ten nodded again.

Kun kept silent as his roommate started to regulate his breathing.

"Sorry, I'm being stupid. I'm being so stupid."

"Please don't say that."

"Sorry," said Ten, rubbing his hands against his eyes. "I'm just so… I'm an idiot. I can't believe I'm panicking about this shit-"

"I told you, don't say that. I'm not allowing you to say that about yourself," came Kun's strict tone.

Ten let out a laugh of surprise. "You're not allowing me-?"

"I said what I said," shrugged Kun with a short laugh. That brought a chuckle out of Ten. "So, do you want to tell me what is going on?" he asked again, this time in a much gentler tone.

Ten let out a sigh of frustration. "My mother's birthday. I just, I don't know what to do." He sounded fragile, like he could break at any moment.

"The gift, you mean?" inquired Kun.

"It's more than that. She… she basically raised me by herself and worked two jobs to afford the best for me. Now, she heads her own company, and she can buy herself whatever she wants, and I can… I can never know how to repay her for all that she did…" finished Ten.

Kun nodded. Seeing as it seemed to reassure Ten, he had continued running his hand up and down his arm.

"I don't think it's about repaying her… not really. I don't think she would want that from you…" tried Kun. He was not the best at giving advice, but that wouldn't prevent him from trying.

"I know…" said Ten, burying his face in his hands. "I know. But here I am, a broke dance major, with nothing to show for myself..."

"Just repeating myself here, but I thought we agreed that type of language wasn't allowed," joked Kun.

It had the intended effect of making Ten laugh, albeit a defeated, watery one. The young man remained in silence for a few more seconds before he finally confessed.

"She wants to meet my boyfriend."

"Oh." Kun didn't know what to say to that. Could it be that… "And he doesn't want to?"

Ten looked up at Kun. "Oh, no. I'm sure he'd agree. That's not the problem."

"Then what is?" asked Kun, confused.

Ten sighed deeply. "I was in a relationship with my high school boyfriend up until the first semester of college. Until he broke up with me."

"Okay…"

"He was one of my best friends in high school. Johnny. I really loved him, you know. And so did my mom."

"Ah." Kun thought he started to see the whole picture. "You're afraid she's not gonna like your new boyfriend?"

"No, much worse than that," laughed Ten. There was no mistaking the sadness in his voice. "I'm afraid she's going to see that I don't love him."

Well, there were a few things to unpack here, thought Kun.

"He's not a bag person. It's just not serious for me, you know. I think I know he's just a rebound. And I know she will notice too."

"And you don't want to worry her," completed Kun for him.

Ten nodded slowly at him, eyes brimming with fresh tears.

"That's why I need a really good gift. A really fucking good one. Something that says, 'look, mom, I love you, and everything is fine'," finished Ten.

"Okay," shrugged Kun.

"Okay?"

"Okay, we'll find it."

"Find what?" asked Ten, dumbfounded.

"The gift! We'll find it."

"We will?" questioned Ten, dubious.

"Sure. What are you doing tomorrow? Got any free time to go shopping?"

"Huh. Yeah. I am. I am free, I mean."

"Good," said Kun.

And that's how it started. Their strange friendship. Their deep knowledge of each other. It originated by accident, from being randomly paired as roommates, brought closer together by Sicheng, and the rest? Well, the rest they had built day by day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot thickens...! I hope you enjoy

Ten wouldn’t know where he would be without Kun, his literal lifeline. The pain in his side. The idiot who was stumbling around the flat, not yet functional before his first cup of coffee.

“My mom should call soon. Go make yourself presentable. She’ll want to say hi.”

Kun grunted in reply. Ten watched him drag himself back to his room and went to their kitchen to make them both coffee.

When Kun reemerged, Ten was sitting on the couch, laptop propped up on his thighs, talking animatedly with him mom.

“There’s coffee in the kitchen!” Ten told him.

“Oh my god, you’re the best.”

“Was that Kun?” came Ten’s mother excited voice.

“Yes, it was,” answered Ten, turning back to his mom.

She looked positively radiant. People often commented about how similar they looked and how Ten inherited her small, delicate features and her eyes. It always sounded to him like the best of compliments.

His mom suddenly beamed, and Ten could guess Kun had entered the line of sight of his laptop’s camera.

“Kun!” she greeted excitedly.

“Auntie! How are you?”

Ten turned to see Kun lean over the back of the couch by his head. He looked more awake now, with his soft sweater and brushed hair. He was so handsome, thought Ten. He had always looked very handsome to him. His jaw was slightly more square than Ten’s, and his nose was just a bit broader, and his eyebrows were thicker… Everything was just somewhat larger with him. Maybe that’s why Kun felt so steady, grounded.

Kun saw Ten look at him and offered him a sleepy smile.

“Aw, you guys.”

Ten’s mom clapped her hands excitedly. He redirected his attention to her.

“I’m happy to have you both here because I wanted to ask something.”

Ten tensed imperceptibly. He did not like the saccharine tone he was able to detect in his mother’s voice. “Mom…” he warned.

“It’s nothing excessive, I promise!”

“Don’t listen to him, Auntie. What can we do for you?”

Ten turned around again to shoot him a betrayed look.

“Well, as you both know, this year is my fiftieth birthday,” announced the woman.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell. You don’t look a day above twenty-five,” sweet-talked Kun.

Ten rolled his eyes hard. “Stop flirting with my mom!”

The woman on the other side of the screen giggled. “Thank you, my dear. Well,” she continued, “I do plan on making this year a memorable one. So I was thinking of throwing a big party!”

“Oh. That could be fun,” agreed Ten. He had gotten used to the annual family dinners, but a party? He could get on board with that.

“Yes. I would like to invite friends and family. Then, the following day, we could do our traditional family gathering, since they would already be there from the party...”

Ten nodded. A whole two days of celebration then. He’d need a few days off if only to recover from that.

“… and I was wondering if Kun wanted to join this year.”

Ten’s thoughts came to a stop. He stared at his mom, processing her words.

“Oh!” was already answering Kun. “I mean, I’m flattered you want to have me there,” he heard him babble. He knew Kun enough to hear that he was just as surprised as him.

“What are you talking about? Of course, I want you there! I understand it would be a lot of people to meet at once. That’s why I wanted to ask you both if you were okay with that.”

It would indeed be a lot of people to meet at once, all of Ten’s extended family. His mother’s friends. Probably some of his high school friends. If her mother threw the party he knew she could, it would be like teleporting Kun into his whole universe. Something like excitement bubbled in him at the mere thought of it.

“I’d be happy to come,” answered Kun. He poked Ten on the shoulder. “That fine with you, right?”

Ten scoffed. “Of course, it’s fine with me.”

His mother was beaming. “Oh, I’m so happy!” The sheer joy in her voice made Ten smile. “Having you both here is the best gift you could ever give me.”

“We already got you a birthday gift, Auntie. I hope you don’t mind getting two presents for your birthday this year,” quipped Kun.

Ten rolled his eyes again. “I will not tolerate this behavior for two full days,” threatened Ten, pointing between Kun and the image of his mother.

His mother was smiling broadly. Kun poked him again on the shoulder. “Ouch!”

Kun left Ten to finish his conversation with his mom. The young man further discussed the logistics of their stay and finally hung up. Ten closed his laptop in a swift movement before letting himself fall back into the cushions.

His mom had always loved Kun. Since the moment he first mentioned him during his sophomore year. Kun had brought him shopping, and they had found all the things they needed for Ten to put together a collage of his favorite photos with his mom. He had even helped Ten complete the project. She had been so moved by it, she cried. It wasn’t surprising, seeing as she was a crier, not unlike himself, and since then, the collage hung in her bedroom.

It was later that he had mentioned Kun to her. Ten couldn’t even remember in which context he had talked about him, only that he had told his mom Kun had helped him with the gift. From that moment on, he would mention the other man in his conversations. He would describe to his mom how Kun forced him to study, how he had mobilized all their friends to assist to his yearly performance at their school’s dance showcase, how they had agreed to room together again for their Junior year. The next birthday, he hadn’t tried to hide at all that Kun had been his not-so-secret helper this time around too.

This went on until the end of college when Kun had suggested they both move in together after graduation. 

In reality, he had been scared that the man would not want to live with him. During their senior year, Kun had gotten a girlfriend. This had come as a shock to Ten. Kun had not exactly been celibate the entire time they lived together. He had had short flings with a few boys and girls. But a girlfriend was a whole other story. It had gotten serious fairly quickly between him and Rosie. His time spent with Kun had cut down almost by half. He felt like he never saw him anymore, like he had lost something precious, more important than a roommate.

He had gone through his final year under the pitiful eyes of Dejun, his best friend from his major, who had urged him many times to tell Kun about how he felt about his disappearance. But Ten couldn’t. He was only Kun’s roommate, after all. He wouldn’t put himself in the way of his friend’s relationship. So when Kun asked him to move in together, Ten had said yes without even thinking twice about it. Rosie be damned. Kun had broken up with her soon enough after that anyway. Ten wouldn’t pretend he had been heartbroken about it.

They’d set off to visit apartments together when he mentioned to his mom that Kun had asked him to move in together. She had beamed at him, happiness rolling off her in waves.

“I’m so happy for you, Tennie!”

When they had found an apartment and secured the lease, she had insisted on meeting Kun.

“I think it’s important for a mother to meet the boy her son will be living with,” had been her main argument.

“We’ve been living together for three years now, mom.”

“But it’ not the same. This is your first apartment.”

When he told Kun, he was surprised to see that the young man was nervous.

“Stop this right now,” had warned Ten. “She already loves you.”

“How do you know that?” had sulked Kun.

“Because she already asks me news from you all the time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her being this excited to meet anyone of my friends.” In retrospect, that should have been the first alarm bell.

“Exactly! So many expectations to live up to!” had exclaimed Kun.

“Oh, shut up!”

Ten’s mother, as expected, had absolutely adored Kun. She hugged him closely when she saw him, and Kun had started his grand seduction. He hadn’t really stopped since, finding any and all reasons to flatter her with a well-placed compliment or send her one of his charming smiles. Ten hated it just as much as he loved it.

The two boys brought Ten’s mother to their future apartment. On their way there, Ten’s mother locked both their arms together and giggled, “You never told me Kun had such cute dimples.” Ten saw Kun flush cutely at his mom’s words.

“You never asked,” answered Ten coolly.

His mom had slapped him gently on the arm. “A mom shouldn’t have to ask such things. Her son should volunteer that type of information.”

“Well, you get to see his cute dimples for yourself, isn’t that better?” retorted Ten.

Kun had sent him a surprised look. “You think my dimples are cute?” Maybe it was Ten’s imagination, but his friend looked a shade redder.

“Of course I do.” Kun didn’t answer. 

Once they had let themselves inside the flat, his mother had critically appraised it. “It’s small,” was her first words.

“It is, yes,” agreed Ten. “But it’s just the two of us. We don’t really need bigger.”

At the corner of his eyes, he saw Kun nod.

“I suppose…” conceded his mother.

They had toured her around the small apartment, showing her the big windows, the small kitchen, and the two rooms.

“Oh, two rooms, that’s lovely. One of them could make a really nice office,” commented his mom.

Ten had frowned and turned just in time to see Kun do the same. They both had shrugged and moved on to show her the renovated bathroom. That should have been another alarm bell.

On their way out, Kun had insisted on taking Ten and his mother out for dinner. Ten’s mom looked delighted, accepting almost immediately. Her reaction gave him pause. Typically, she would have argued against it, seeing as she was the eldest and Ten’s mom, but somehow she let herself be pampered by Kun. Ten hadn’t read much in her behavior, thinking she had just been under the Kun curse, as he called it. Apparently, it was particularly effective on Ten and his blood relatives. 

At the end of the night, his mother had hugged Kun tight, telling him to take good care of her son.

She then hugged Ten and whispered in his ear, “I like this one. Keep him.”

In retrospect, there had been plenty of alarm bells. Ten had just turned a deaf ear to all of them.

The call finished, Ten extirpated himself from the couch, and he crept into Kun’s room. The older man was sat on his bed, reading a book.

“Hey,” said Ten as he dragged himself to Kun’s bed. He sat down next to his roommate, who turned his attention towards him.

“Hey.”

“So…” started Ten awkwardly.

“Yeah,” laughed Kun.

Ten didn’t know how Kun always managed to say the right thing to dissolve the tension. One simple word from him, and he had the younger man visibly relaxing.

“Yeah,” repeated Ten with a laugh. “Listen, I just wanted to say, if you don’t want to come, you don’t have to. We can find you an excuse...”

“No, no! I’d love to join. Your mom is great, and I’d get to visit your hometown and meet your friends,” answered Kun. “It’s for you, you know. I know how overwhelming it can get. I don’t want you to have to worry about me too...”

Ten scoffed. “Worry about you? You’d be the least of my worry.” He looked down at his hand, not knowing whether it made sense to say what he thought next. He went for it anyway. “Actually, it’d be the opposite. You’d probably keep me sane.”

Kun took a moment before he responded. “Yeah?”

Ten looked up at him. “Of course.” He couldn’t read what was passed in his friend’s gaze. “You’ve been a part of this tradition for years now, anyway. You just never experienced it first hand.”

Kun chuckled. “You’re right, I have.”

“So you’ll come?”

“Of course, I’ll come.” Kun reached out to put a cautious hand on his. “I’d love to.”

“Good,” said Ten. "It'll be great, you'll see."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter, let me know what you think ^^

It was Sunday around lunchtime, and Kun and Ten were going to meet their friend group at their favorite coffee shop. The one Sicheng, Kun, and Ten held their study sessions as undergrads and had never really stopped frequenting even after graduation.

Over the years, they had consolidated their little friend group. There were Kun and Ten, obviously, as well as Sicheng. The group expanded when Kun introduced them to Yukhei. Despite being tall and muscular, Yukhei was a real teddy bear and a lot more perceptive than people realized. Maybe that's why it had taken him all of two seconds to figure out one of Kun's most well-kept secrets.

Yukhei briefly encountered Ten for the first time a few weeks into their Sophomore year. He had dropped by Kun's room at the same time Ten had been on his way out. After a brief introduction, Ten had left, and Yukhei had settled on Kun's bed.

"Wow, dude. Your roommate is really cute," he had said.

There must have been a special type of heat in the glare Kun sent Yukhei for his friend to raise both hands in surrender. "Okay, I got it, I got it. He's off-limit!"

The next person to join their group of friends was Dejun, Ten's very handsome friend from his major. Kun preferred not to think of the two of them going to class together, stretching, and dancing until Ten was breathless and covered in sweat. Kun rarely had the privilege of seeing Ten like this; he'd rather not think about Dejun being privy to that sight nearly every day. Now Dejun and Ten were working in the same dance studio as instructors.

During their Junior year, Lucas had introduced them to one of his gym friends, Kunhang. He was a chill guy and immediately assimilated to their slowly growing group. They even managed to get Kun to go train with them for a little while.

The last person to join had been Yangyang, Kun's own personal nightmare. Or his adopted son, according to Ten. In any case, he blamed Ten for encouraged Kun to become a tutor. Now he couldn't get rid of his first, and only, student.

When Kun and Ten arrived at the cafe, all of their other friends were already there, except for Sicheng. They all ordered their beverages and shared a few pastries between them. Yangyang complained about his classes' workload when Sicheng made a thunderous appearance, looking half-way between euphoric and utterly panicked.

"Somebody can explain to me why my mom said Ten would be bringing his boyfriend home for her birthday?" he all but shouted when he arrived at their table.

Silence.

"What?" blinked Ten before the whole table exploded. He tried to shush them, as they were already gathering the attention of the other customers around them. He was not very successful.

"Your boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?" screamed Yangyang, while Dejun had turned to Ten with a frown. "Ten's mom said what…?" Kunhang asked Sicheng while Yukhei simply burst into laughter. Kun remained frozen in his seat.

Ten's boyfriend?

"My mom told me," said Sicheng, enunciating each word clearly, "that your mother told her, that you'd be bringing your boyfriend home for the first time."

"Your boyfriend?" Kun had finally found his voice again.

"His boyfriend?" repeated Dejun.

"I don't have a boyfriend!" exclaimed Ten. "What are you talking about?"

Sicheng was looking more and more hysterical. "My thoughts exactly when she said that. So I asked her to explain who she meant by your boyfriend," continued Sicheng. "And my mom said, and I quote, 'His long-term boyfriend, Sicheng! The one he's been with since his undergrad!' So I knew she wasn't talking about Johnny because he was your high school boyfriend. She couldn't possibly mean what' s-his-name, the rebound you had right after. And she couldn't be referring to that guy you had a thing with at the studio since that was after graduation…"

Kun would rather Sicheng stopped listing all the guys Ten had slept with. Something skin jealousy was starting to curl in the pit of his stomach, and he would prefer not to have to experience it there, in front of all his friends. He was the type to brood in the comfort and silence of his room and figure his shit out by himself. He twitched uncomfortably in his seat while Sicheng continued his explanation.

"So I was there, on the phone with her, wondering what she meant," continued Sicheng, "when suddenly, the realization dawned on me." The man took a dramatic pause. "I asked her, 'Mom, do you mean Kun?', and lo and behold, she exclaimed, 'Yes! That's the one!'."

Kun felt like he had been doused in iced water. The group around him remained silent for what felt like an eternity before Yangyang screeched. "Kun? KUN?"

Dejun had dropped his mouth open, an air of absolute delight written all over it. "You're kidding! Please tell me this is real!"

Yukhei cackled loudly, slapping the table with one hand. "No way! Man! Nooooo way!"

Kunhang looked utterly lost. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Both Ten and Kun had remained frozen. Kun slowly turned to him to see Ten already looking back, shock written all over his face. Kun was was sure he appeared just as confused. How did Sicheng's mom even know of his existence? Had Ten's mom really talked about him? As Ten's boyfriend?

Kun felt panic rise in him.

"I don't get it!" said Ten. His best friend looked up to Sicheng. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that your mom has been announcing to her friends that her son's boyfriend, Kun, will be coming to her birthday this year."

"What… but how… but Kun is not my boyfriend!"

"Are you sure about that?" grinned Dejun.

"Fuck you," answered Ten, turning his attention back to Sicheng. "How could she think that? I never said Kun was my boyfriend? I literally never said that?"

"Well, maybe she has eyes and assumed otherwise," said Yukhei, still laughing hysterically.

"I mean," said Yangyang, having finally stopped screeching, "you guys are best friends, and you live together. I know it's weird, but maybe Yukhei is right. Maybe she just assumed…"

"She would never just assume…" Ten interrupted himself. He turned to Kun. "Oh my god." Realization seemed to hit Ten like a ton of bricks. "Kun, oh my god." Kun saw as horror filled the younger man's eyes. "She always asks about you when we talk…" started Ten.

Kun shook his head vehemently. "She's just nice. She just cares!" he denied.

"She doesn't ask about any of the others!" said Ten, motioning to the others around the table.

"Ouch," said Yangyang, grabbing his chest in mock-injury.

Ken paid him no mind. He could feel the taste of bile rising in his mouth.

"Think about it, Kunnie. She was so insistent on inviting you herself," added Ten, sounding desperate.

"She was?" asked Sicheng, looking deeply invested in the unfolding drama.

Ten nodded before burying his face in his hands. "She said her biggest gift would be to have us both there with her."

Kun tried to reign in the panic that had taken over him. But memories were resurfacing, moments they had shared, some words Ten's mother had told him. Something clicked in his head. "Oh my god," he suddenly said.

The others turned towards him. "She told me to take good care of you," declared Kun. Ten looked up, eyebrow raised in his direction. "When I first met her before we moved in together. She hugged me, and she said to take good care of you."

"Of course she would say that!" tried to argue the other man. "We were moving in together!"

"She thought the second bedroom would be an office!" Kun knew how agitated he sounded, but he couldn't help himself.

"She thought what now?" exclaimed Yukhei, but Kunhang shushed him.

Ten frowned at Kun, taking in his words, before punching him on the shoulder. "You did this!" he called out. "You encouraged her! You kept being nice to her, and talking to her, and brought us out for dinner, and sent her flowers on her birthday…"

The others had gone silent, except for Yukhei's whispered, "Flower on her birthday?"

"I was being nice!" Kun defended himself.

"Oh my god, guys," butt in Dejun, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "You both are absolute idiots."

Ten burrowed his face in his hands again. "Fuck! I should have known," he muttered.

"Known what?" It was Yangyang who broke the silence.

"Known that this would happen," said Ten, tipping his head backward. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment and exhaled loudly. "She is so invested in Kun. She asks how his writing is going. She buys the journals where he publishes his work…"

"Oh my god, Ten," repeated Dejun. His gaze held such disapproval, Kun didn't know whether he should feel offended by it.

"You're both so fucking stupid, it's brilliant," laughed Yukhei, gaze going between his two friends back and forth in disbelief.

"It's just a misunderstanding. I'm sure we can clear it up." Kun told Ten, but the man was staring blankly into space.

He reached over, rubbing Ten's arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture for the young man. Ten relaxed into his touch. When Kun looked around the table at their friends, he saw Yukhei and Dejun exchange a loaded stare. He decided not to pick up on it, though, focusing his attention on his best friend instead.

Needless to say, they did not stay long at the coffee shop after that. Kun brought Ten home, where he could do nothing but observe Ten collapse on their sofa. His friend took his phone out and let out a grunt of despair.

"I can't believe this."

"What is it, now?" asked Kun, suddenly concerned.

"It's Taeyong."

Kun had never met Taeyong but often heard of him. He was one of Ten's best friends in high school. They had gone to different universities but were still in touch.

"What about him?"

Ten handed Kun his phone for him to read. It was Ten's chat conversation with Taeyong.

Taeyongie  
omg tennie!!!  
is it true?  
you'll be coming with a boyfriend?  
your mom invited my mom for the party  
apparently your bf will be there??

Then a few minutes later, Taeyong had written again.

Taeyongie  
wait  
is your bf kun?  
omg  
why didn't you tell me??!

For the second time that day, Kun felt like he had a bucket of ice poured over his head. Not wanting to add to Ten's panic, he tried to remain calm about the situation. "So it's true? Your mom really thinks we're together, huh?"

Ten stared daggers into his profile. "How the fuck are you so calm about this?"

Kun stared back with the same intensity. "I'm not calm about this. I'm not calm at all. This," he waved at himself, "this is me not being calm."

Ten turned away from him, face crestfallen.

The sheer despair on Ten's face was starting to sting a little. "I'm gonna start being offended," suddenly said Kun.

"Offended?" asked Ten, confused.

"Yeah. By you acting like people thinking we're together is the worst thing that could ever happen to you."

Ten spluttered. "It's not, I'm not… I don't think it's the worse thing…"

"Sure looks like it."

"Kun, what? No!" Ten righted himself, reached out to him. "It's just… Fuck Kun! Think about it for a moment. My mom thinks that we're dating. You heard Sicheng! She's been telling her friends about my boyfriend for college! That's at least since we graduated and moved in together, if not longer. Kun, she'll be fucking crushed when she learns that we're not together."

Ten finished his rant, looking dismayed. Kun didn't know what to answer.

"Fuck, I hadn't thought about that…" When he looked back at Ten, the younger had tears in his eyes. "Hey, hey, please don't cry." He didn't know what to do. He sat down next to Ten on their couch. Ten and he had never really been tactile together, and it felt weird to reach out to console him. He opted to place his hand on his knee, trying to anchor him at the moment.

"We don't have to tell her," finally blurted out Kun.

Ten turned to him, baffled. "What? What are you talking about? Of course, we have to tell her…"

"But we don't," continued Kun. The coherent part of him wanted him to shut up, calm the fuck down, and approach this rationally. The rest of him longed to take Ten in his arms, comfort him, be his goddamn boyfriend for a few days. "She already thinks we're dating. We just have to not tell her otherwise," he shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.

Ten blinked at him like he had lost his mind. "Are you on drugs?-" started Ten, but Kun interrupted again.

"No, listen. All we've done these past few years is be friends. But somehow, she's interpreted everything we did through the boyfriend lens. What I'm saying is, all we have to do is go there, be ourselves, and we'll be fine."

"It's not that easy, Kun! Everybody will be there. My family, my mom's friends. My own friends. We can't just act like friends and pretend no one will notice that we don't hold hands, or kiss, or whatever."

"Okay," said Kun. Ten had a point. How had he become the thinker of the two? That was supposed to be Kun's role, not Ten's. "We could break up now. Tell her we're breaking up, and that's why I'm not coming."

Ten looked appalled at the suggestion. "You want to break up before her birthday? You think that's gonna make things better?"

Kun couldn't argue with that either. "Listen," he said after a moment's reflection. "I don't really see a way out of this. Either we break her heart by telling her the truth or by breaking up. Or, for the few days we spend there, you're my boyfriend."

"Oh god," finally answered Ten, looking utterly defeated. You're right, we don't have a choice…"

"So," said Kun. "What will it be?"

He observed as he saw the conflict unfold in Ten's pretty eyes. He looked like he settled on a decision and turned to Kun, still unsure but more determined. Ten put a hand on where Kun's was resting on his knee, squeezing it gently. "Yeah, okay. Let's do this."

"Good," answered Kun. "Let's do this, boyfriend." There was something delightfully right about saying those words. Boyfriend. Kun was hoping that his calm facade wouldn't betray the jittery feeling that had started to settle in him. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend.

Ten sighed deeply but still looked up at him, and smiled imperceptibly. "Okay, boyfriend."

\--

The party would be held on a Friday night and the family gathering on the following Saturday. Ten asked Kun whether they could also stay on Sunday, since it would allow him to spend some time with his high school friends. Kun, always being too kind for his own good, had of course agreed. So they decided to take the long weekend. On Thursday afternoon, Ten came home early from the studio to find Yukhei on his way out.

"Hey, Yukhei, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing. Just came to drop something by for Kun." He shrugged his jacket on, sending a playful wink at Ten.

"Okay…?" answered Ten. Kun appeared behind Yukhei at this moment. There was a lovely blush on his cheeks.

"You packed what I gave you, right?" Yukhei asked Kun, walking towards the front door.

"Shut up," answered Kun. After clearing his throat, he added. "Yes."

"Good!" Yukhei clapped his hands together. "Enjoy your weekend, boys!" Then, pointing a finger to Kun, "Keep me updated, old man."

"Sure, yeah. Leave now," replied the other man, closing the door behind him.

Kun left and came back a short moment after with part of their luggage. He piled it next to the entrance.

"What was that about?" asked Ten, taking some of it to transport outside.

"Nothing." Kun came back shortly after with the last of their luggage. "Suits are in the garment covers," indicated Kun, "dress shoes in the gym bag over there. You're all packed, right?"

Ten approved as Kun continued. "I didn't pack us any food. I thought we could stop for snacks or something on our way there…"

Ten wished he didn't find Kun's sense of structure so attractive. What was it about it that made him so sexy? Ten thought it had to do with the feeling he had with Kun, like he was being taken care of. He brushed his thoughts aside, opting to grab more bags and make his way to the car.

For someone who didn't really get out much, Kun sure liked owning a car. He liked driving, Ten knew as much and was generous with it, often agreeing to pick up their friends and lending his car to one of them. Ten was disgusted by how helpful the older man was. Sometimes, he wished Kun was not generous at all. It would certainly make Ten's life easier.

Ten was the co-pilot and programmed the address in Kun's phone. He also decided to be DJ, putting up songs for the two of them to sing. It was moments like these, with Kun driving them both safely, laughing and singing and speaking together over the music, that made Ten forget just about every problem he had. The upcoming choreography he had to put together for their studio's annual show. His Kun-sized crush on his best friend. His mother thinking Kun was his boyfriend.

They decided to stop at a rest area to grab a quick dinner. Kun parked them, and Ten stepped out with a grateful hum. He stretched out his arms and back, hearing the crack of his joints.

"That can't be good," joked Kun as he walked over to Ten's side of the car.

"Well, dancer's body," replied Ten, stretching some more. "It's bound to fall apart," he said wistfully. He turned to Kun, appraising him. "Although, you too, if you don't fix your posture." He walked over to Kun and put a hand on his shoulder to try to straighten him up. "You'll soon look like the hunchback of Notre-Dame," he said, referring to the long hours the other man spent in front of his computer. Ten was lying, of course. Kun looked great. He was active and often went running, and he still had the defined shoulders and pectorals from when Yukhei and Kunhang had him lifting weights during their Senior year.

Kun batted Ten's hands away. "Leave me alone."

"A whole hunchback, I tell you. I should start saving up to buy you a cane."

Kun dragged him inside.

It was a quiet evening, and only a few other people were there. The gas station extended into a small eating area, with shelves of sandwiches, salads, candy bars, and drinks to chose from. It was quiet and clean, and both men settled down across from each other.

Ten tore into his sandwich while Kun was nibbling at his chips. "Something the matter?" asked Ten after a moment of silence.

Kun shrugged.

"Okay. Are you nervous?"

"Nervous?" scoffed Kun. "Why would I be nervous?"

Ten laughed at his friend's reaction. "I don't know. What could you be nervous about? Hum, let me see… You're about to meet my whole family, and they all think we're dating. You'll also meet all my childhood friends, who, apart from Sicheng, also think we're dating," listed Ten. "Am I missing anything?"

Kun sighed deeply. "Yeah. You're right, I guess."

Ten waited for the other man to elaborate.

"I mean, I should be nervous about that stuff, right? But I guess like I'm more nervous about us."

Ten was not expecting that. "Us?"

"Yeah," said Kun, finally opening up the wrapping of his sandwich. "Like, how are we supposed to act with each other?"

Ten opened his mouth to respond, but Kun continued.

"And like, what are our boundaries?"

Ten's mind came to a halt. "Boundaries?" he repeated blankly.

"Yeah, like, should I hold your hand? Should I hug you and touch you in front of your friends and family? Where am I allowed to touch you?"

Ten felt grateful he was not eating or drinking anything because he certainly would have choked on his food. Since learning that his mother thought they were a couple, he had been plagued by so many thoughts, but funnily, none of them were of Kun and him acting together as a couple.

No, he had mostly been reflecting on his mother's acute perception. Ten could not lie and say that he had always been attracted to Kun. Sure, he had thought Kun was handsome, in an annoying kind of way. Seemingly unbothered and unresponsive to his taunting. But then, he had learned to know him. He had got to know how strong-willed Kun was, and determined, and put together. He kept a color-coded planner. He could deliver articles and write on his own without having someone to force him. Ten could never do any of that. He was also kind, gentle, and not afraid of intimacy, which were not words that Ten would have used to describe himself.

It was somewhere between their second and third year of rooming together in college that Ten had come to terms with his feelings towards Kun. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't so long after that that Rosie entered the picture.

So was Ten surprised that his mother picked up on the sheer affection he had for his best friend and saw it for what it was? No, not at all. Those were the thoughts that had plagued Ten while planning for their trip.

Now, sitting across from Kun in the rest area, he wondered whether he had been worrying about the wrong thing all along.

"Oh," he said, putting his sandwich down.

"Yeah, oh," mocked Kun, not unkindly.

Ten threw a napkin at him. "Well, we should figure this out, no?" he asked, looking at Kun for confirmation.

The other man looked unsure but ultimately nodded.

"So, to answer your questions, I'm normally fairly… physical, with people."

"I know," replied Kun. "But not with me. We're not like that."

Ten breathed deeply. "Yeah, well, maybe we should. I mean, for the sake of the next few days."

Kun eyed him skeptically but ultimately nodded.

"So," resumed Ten, "hand-holding, yes. Hugs, also yes," he counted on his fingers. "And honestly, you can touch me pretty much anywhere, I don't really have strong boundaries for that."

Kun choked on a chip. "Wh-what?"

Ten tried to laugh off the truth contained in his previous statement. "I said what I said," he winked at Kun. He thought he saw Kun flush but decided to spare him further teasing. "How about you? How are you like with your significant others?

Kun paused for a moment, thinking. "Yeah, I'm pretty physical, too, I think. I'll probably never leave you alone."

Ten avoided Kun's gaze by biting down on his sandwich. He couldn't help himself from remarking. "I've never really seen you with someone, you know? Is that how you were with Rosie?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," answered Kun thoughtfully. "I mean, she wasn't demonstrative like that," he stated. "I was the clingy one of the two."

Ten hated the image he had in mind, of Kun holding the beautiful young woman in his arms.

"But you know that," Kun continued. "You've seen us together. We dated for several months."

Ten frowned at Kun. "I actually didn't see you much together. She never came home and never stayed over. She wouldn't even acknowledge me if you weren't there."

He waited for Kun to argue back like he always did when Ten brought the topic of Rosie up, but the banter never came. "Oh, so you won't defend her? You agree? She avoided me?" he teased his friend.

"I am afraid that I cannot confirm, nor deny, the information presented to me-"

This time, Ten threw the plastic wrap of his sandwich at him.

"She disliked me, say it."

"Will not."

"Will too."

"Will not."

They finished eating, and Ten got to stealing Kun's chips. Too kind as he was, he angled the bag in Ten's direction. What an idiot, Ten thought affectionately.

"There's one last thing I'd like to settle," declared Kun when they had both finished the bag.

"Hmm?"

"What about kissing?"

A part of Ten had expected this question. Realistically, they were supposed to be two adult men in a relationship, so of course kissing had been on his mind. Ten tried to not stare at Kun's lips when he answered. "I'm okay with that too."

Kun had been staring at him, observing his reaction closely. "Yeah?"

Ten nodded, feeling slightly shy, trying very hard not to show it.

Kun brought his hands together, looking up, a clear sign that he was thinking. "Listen, the only thing that bothers me here is that if we're gonna do that, I don't want our first kiss to be in a room full of your mom's friends."

Ten was pretty sure his thoughts had stopped at the words 'our first kiss'. He needed a second for his brain to catch up to what Kun had said.

"Wait," said Ten, wanting to make sure he understood his friend correctly. "What you're saying is you're fine with kissing me in front of my mom's friends, as long as we don't do it in front of my mom's friends first?" He sounded crazy to his own ears.

The only thing that betrayed Kun's discomfort was the slight twitching at his eyes. "Well, would you rather our first kiss be in front of all your mom's friends? And extended family?" he added as if to substantiate his point.

"Can you… oh my god…" Ten buried his face in his hand, very much wishing he was anywhere but here. "So do you…" Ten continued speaking in his palms, "are you saying we should just get it out of the way?" He looked at Kun through his fingers.

"Get it out… What? What are you talking about?"

"Us kissing," said Ten, embarrassed to his core. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Are you saying we should just do it? Should we just kiss now?"

"Wha- No!" Kun was appropriately flustered now. "I'm not kissing you in the middle of a fucking rest stop, either."

Ten exclaimed, in frustration, "I'm not following you right here! Do we kiss, do we not kiss?"

"I- oh my god, you're making this so difficult…"

"Oh, I'm difficult now…"

"That's not what I said," said Kun, firmly. That shut Ten up. Kun breathed deeply once, twice, and when he spoke, he did so slowly, enunciating clearly. "Let's take it from the top, okay?" He waited for Ten to acquiesce. "Are you okay with kissing? In front of your friends and family?" Ten nodded again. "Okay." Kun exhaled audibly. "In this case, I'd rather our first kiss happens just between the two of us, without an audience. Are you okay with that?"

Ten couldn't look at him in the eyes when he nodded again.

"Good. See, that wasn't so difficult," said Kun, getting up from his chair. "Shall we get going?" he questioned, pointing towards the parking lot.

Right. They still had some driving to do. Ten nodded again, and Kun smiled at him, looking unbothered as if they just didn't have the most excruciatingly painful conversation of their friendship. But something in Kun's demeanor, in his smile, made Ten feel like they would be okay.

This would work. They would be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few seconds in heaven~~ hope you guys like this update <3

They drove to Ten's hometown, where the younger man started giving Kun the directions to his mother's house. Along the way, Ten pointed out to him the primary school he attended, as well as the apartment he used to live in before his mother climbed the corporate ladder. They drove past his favorite restaurant, and he excitedly described to Kun that it made the best Italian food he'd ever had. They drove until they reached the town's periphery, and Ten indicated their final destination: an impressive, modern-looking two-story house.

Kun pulled up in the large entryway and parked right behind a high-end car. They both gathered their bags and trotted along the path leading to the house. Dropping his luggage on the porch, Ten reached to knock, but the front door was almost immediately wrenched open.

"You're here!" shouted his mother, pulling him to her. After a long, crushing hug, she turned to Kun.

"Welcome home, sweetie," she said before going in for a hug. She ushered them both in, telling them to leave their bags in the hall.

"Are you boys hungry? Do you want something to drink, maybe?"

Kun followed Ten and his mother to the kitchen. From what he could glimpse, the house was beautiful yet minimalist in design. They walked past the dining area, a big room with white walls, black and gray furniture, and stylish black and silver pendant lights hanging above the table. They emerged into the kitchen, which had black granite counters, a small breakfast bar with high stools, and modern stainless steel appliances. Both boys agreed to a cup of tea. Kun sat down at the counter while Ten remained standing, stretching his legs and back.

"Your cousins will be arriving tomorrow morning," chatted Ten's mom, catching them up on the party. "They won't be staying over. They'll be staying at their friends' house in town. Your uncle and aunt will take up the guest room on the first floor." She busied herself, getting teacups out, setting the kettle to boil. "You're the first ones to arrive, obviously," she turned to smile brightly at them.

Kun looked at Ten, who was standing a good meter away from him. It was not very boyfriendly of them, he thought.

Kun decided to reach out and take Ten's hand in his and pulled him to his side. He did not miss the way Ten's mother's eyes followed his movements, how bright she smiled when she looked back up at them. It was worth coming, Kun thought, and going through the whole ordeal, just to see her be so happy. Ten leaned into him.

"Thank you for having us, auntie. We're happy to be here."

Kun didn't think it was possible, but her smile got bigger. "Not as happy as I am to have you both for my birthday." Her smile turned sheepish. "I hope you don't mind, but I might have gotten a little bit excited and told a few friends that Ten was finally bringing you home…"

Kun felt Ten tense next to him, so he let go of his hand to throw an arm around his waist and tuck him in his side. "Of course I don't mind," replied Kun. "I just hope I live up to expectations," he responded with what he hoped was his most charming smile. Ten scoffed, just as his mom laughed delightfully.

"Why are you like this?" muttered Ten just as his mom went back to fix them both a cup of tea.  
"This is awful, you're just the…"

"Here, boys. You want some sugar?"

When they both declined, she settled down next to them and detailed her plans for the party. She was expecting around 30 to 40 guests. There would be a cocktail, and then catering would be served. The living room would have music, and the dining room would be a place where the guests could go for food and conversations.

"People will arrive tomorrow throughout the day. We will decorate first, and then we can all get ready for the evening." Based on her excited tone, it was clear that she couldn't wait for the preparations to start.

"Do you have any dress code in mind?" asked Ten. He had settled against Kun, arm thrown around his shoulders. "Kun and I brought formal clothing, just in case…"

His mom nodded. "Yes, I want you both to look pretty." She turned to Kun. "It shouldn't be very difficult," she said with a wink in his direction.

"Mom!" screamed Ten, face in his palm.

Kun felt his cheeks redden but joined in on her laughter.

"But seriously, how did my son find such a handsome guy!"

"Oh my god, stop flirting with my boyfriend," Ten protested.

Kun tugged him closer.

Ten's mom giggled some more. "I don't think I present much competition," she said, eyeing where Kun's arm was settled firmly on Ten's waist. Kun tried not to blush again but also refused to let go of Ten, despite the other man's squirming.

They both finished their tea and retreated into the hall to gather their belongings.

"We're in the bedroom upstairs?" asked Ten.

"Yes," confirmed his mom. "I put you where I thought you'd have more intimacy," she said offhandedly. "You'll have your own en-suite bathroom, and there are no other rooms nearby. You won't have to worry about noise," she specified.

Kun almost dropped the bags he was holding. Did Ten's mom just so casually refer to them having loud sex in her house? It brought him back to Yukhei's visit earlier that day. The younger man had dropped by while Kun had been finishing packing, handing him a plastic bag. Kun had blushed furiously upon seeing its content. After arguing with Yukhei that he would not be bringing condoms and lube with him for the weekend, Yukhei had unceremoniously shoved the plastic bag in the front pocket of his luggage. "Just in case," he had said before leaving. It seemed that both Ten's mom and Yukhei's minds were in the gutter. 

Ten quickly grabbed his hand and started pulling him up the stairs. "Okay, that's good, thank you mom, good night!"

Up the stairs, Ten took a turn left and lead him to the last room down the hallway. He pushed it opened to reveal a large bed with soft-looking sheets framed by two bedside tables. There was a wardrobe by the entrance, and Kun assumed that the door on the other side of the room probably led to their en suite.

Ten dropped his bags on the ground and threw himself face-first on the bed.

"Oh my god. Oh my god, I can't believe she said that," came his high-pitched, plaintive voice. "Worry about the noise?" he shrieked.

Kun put his own luggage down and carefully hung the garment bags in the wardrobe. "I thought it went okay, don't you think?" tried to ask Kun, casually. He did not want Ten to freak out. He didn't need a breakdown from the other man while he was trying to keep it together himself.

Ten rose his head and leveled him with a hostile glare.

"What?" challenged Kun. "It did!"

Ten elected to ignore him and put his head back down.

"You're gonna have to get used to it," finally said Kun. "I have a feeling this was just a practice run."

Ten grumbled in response.

"Let's sleep. we'll need to be well-rested tomorrow."

Kun started to get ready for bed, showering first before letting the small bathroom to Ten.

Both of them were clad in boxers and t-shirts when they laid down in bed.

"I forgot we would be sharing a bed and all…," said Ten.

"Don't worry, I know by now you don't snore," tried to joke Kun. He did not need the other man to remind him that they would be sleeping side by side, almost undressed.

Kun settled on his back and turned off the light on his side of the bed. Ten did the same before plopping on his side, facing Kun.

They stayed in the dark for a few moments. Kun could hear Ten's breathing next to him. It was strange, he thought, but in a pleasant type of way.

A few minutes later, he heard Ten moved next to him. "Kun?" came a small, sleepy voice.

"Humm?"

"I know it's weird and embarrassing, and that we'll have a million moments where we'll want to kill ourselves, or my mom, or my friends…" he was interrupted by Kun's laugh. He continued, "… but I wouldn't do it with anyone else," he finished softly.

Something in Ten's gentle confession made it difficult to breathe. Kun shifted on his side, trying to discern Ten's silhouette in the dark next to him. "I wouldn't do it with anyone else either," he said back.

Ten hummed at his response and shifted again. Soon enough, Kun could feel himself fall asleep.

Ten woke up to the image of Kun, sleeping peacefully next to him. Somehow, in his sleep, Ten had shifted over Kun's side of the bed, sprawling himself across the mattress. Thankfully he had not tried to cuddle the other man and did not wake up in a compromising position. He silently got out of bed, knowing full well that Kun would sleep in a bit longer and got dressed before going downstairs.

He had some time to enjoy the silent home, his mother and Kun both still sleeping. He took the opportunity to check up on his unread messages on his phone.

Most of them were from Dejun. He started with the ones that dated the night before.

Junjun  
hiiiiii  
have you reached?

Junjun  
let me know when you've reached  
just wanna check up on how you're doing

Then, there were the ones he sent this morning.

Junjun  
woke up early  
practice without you sucks :(

Ten had taken the day off, officially leaving Dejun alone to their class.

Junjun  
you didn't text yesterday  
all is good?

Ten answered.

Ten-ah  
hiii bb  
i'm fine  
we got here late yesterday  
sorry I didn't see your messages earlier

The reply came almost automatically.

Junjun  
hiiiii  
it's fine  
i was just starting to get worried  
how are things with kun?

Ten sighed. Dejun was his friend who probably knew best how he felt towards Kun. Him and Sicheng, who noticed too many things for his own good. But Dejun was privy to Ten's feelings in a way no one else was. When he joined their little group friend, he had spent hours teasing Ten on how cute Kun's dimples were and how Ten kept looking at him like he was the only person in the room. What had started as teasing from Dejun soon became too real. Dejun had been there for him when Ten had his Kun-shaped existential crisis and had walked Ten through his accepting he had feelings for his best friend. He had been there when Ten could only watch Kun be swept away by his relationship with Rosie. Dejun had eyed him, gaze loaded, when Kun announced he had broken up with her. He hadn't really stopped badgering Ten about it since.

Ten-ah  
it's fine  
he's way too nice  
i hate it

Junjun  
is he?

When his friend added nothing else, Ten caved in and gave him the explanation Dejun clearly wanted.

Ten-ah  
yeah  
he's fucking charming the pants off my mom  
being the best bf ever

Junjun  
!!!!!  
god I would love to be there rn  
i might have to blackmail sicheng for info

That was right. Sicheng would be there that weekend, coming with his parents and sister for the party that very night.

junjun  
best bf ever?  
wdym?

Ten cursed Dejun silently but answered anyway, unable to keep anything secret from him.

Ten-ah  
he held my hand  
in front of my mom  
she fucking loved it  
you should have seen her face

Junjun  
that's it??  
he held your hand?

Ten laughed. He could hear the disappointment in Dejun's voice, even through text.

Junjun  
and that makes him the best bf ever smh?  
you gotta raise the bar my man

Ten-ah  
he also grabbed me by my waist  
and pulled me to him

Junjun  
YES  
go on

Ten-ah  
there's not much else to say  
it was just yesterday with my mom  
although

Ten debated with himself whether to tell Dejun about their conversation earlier that night.

Junjun  
although?

God, Ten was weak.

Ten-ah  
we talked  
about boundaries  
like what we're okay with for the weekend  
like how he's allowed to touch me  
and stuff

Junjun  
oh jesus  
he asked  
how he could TOUCH you  
omg  
what did you say?

Ten-ah  
i said i was pretty much fine with anything  
which I am

Junjun  
wow

Ten-ah  
he said he was too

Junjun  
fuck  
ten  
go get your man

Ten-ah  
and then he brought up kissing

Junjun  
asdfghj  
HE brought up  
KISSING  
please tell me you said yes

Ten-ah  
i did  
because i'm weak

Junjun  
obviously

Ten-ah  
but wait  
he said  
he'd rather not have our first kiss in front of an audience

Dejun was silent for a suspicious amount of time.

Junjun  
he said what

Ten-ah  
omg i know right?  
i don't even remember what i answered to that  
i think i just blanked

Junjun  
HE SAID WHAT

Ten-ah  
and we sort of discussed that  
and i think we agreed that our first kiss should just be the two of us  
idk  
like i said  
i think i blacked out a little

Junjun  
omg omg  
what  
i'm just  
what??

Ten-ah  
i don't know what it means though  
i guess we'll see

Junjun  
you guess you'll see?  
jesus  
you have  
and i cannot stress this enough  
you HAVE  
to keep me updated  
i need to know  
EVERYTHING

Ten-ah  
of course  
i mean  
i'll need to talk about it  
so that i can have proof it wasn't just a fever dream

Junjun  
i can't believe Sicheng will see all that  
man i would kill to be there  
i've got to go now, class will start  
but remember  
tell me EVERYTHING

Ten-ah  
sure  
talk later bb  
have a good day!

When his mother and Kun emerged, Ten had had the time to prepare coffee and get some breakfast items out. They enjoyed breakfast, but it didn't take long for the two boys to be swept away in party preparations. Kun was the kindest, as always, and volunteered to help push some furniture out of the way, making sure that there was enough place for all guests to walk around freely and enough seats for some to be able to sit down. Nearing lunchtime, Ten's uncle and aunt, as well as two of his cousins arrived. They hugged him tightly, and they were all introduced to Kun by his overjoyed mother.

Kun was all smiles and dimples when he greeted them, bowing deeply. Not too long after, two of his mom's friends also arrived, arms full of wine bottles, snacks, and decorations to put up. His mom suggested they order in for lunch. While they waited for the pizza to arrive, the small group doubled up their efforts, chatting animatedly while blowing balloons, setting the tables with white tablecloth and piles of plates and cutlery, and arguing over where the speakers should go.

This is where Ten thought he first noticed. His two cousins were both beautiful young women. The youngest was fifteen and helped her mom blowing up balloons and fixing them to the wall. The other, Sojung, was nineteen years old. She had beautiful long black hair framing her perfectly heart-shaped face. She had also been following Kun around since she stepped foot in the house.

She was currently helping him fold napkins, handing them to him shyly, gaze shifting to the ground whenever Kun turned to speak to her. He recognized the flush on her cheeks whenever he smiled at her. Apparently, Kun did not only have that effect on his mother and himself. The Kun curse seemed to extend to all his relatives.

A mix of fondness and annoyance pulsed through him. What tipped him to give in to his irritation was how Kun, the oblivious idiot, did not seem to notice the effect he had on Sojung.

Ten finished plugging in the speaker he had set up and marched towards the two of them.

"Yeah, I'm almost finished with my first novel," was saying Kun as he neared him.

Sojung looked awed. "I never met a writer before…" she said, tucking in a strand of her long black hair behind her ear.

Oh god. He could imagine how Kun appeared straight out of a romance novel, the tall, handsome novelist with the dimpled smile and a heart of gold. Ten was sure he was every young woman's teenage fantasy. Ten had half a mind to feel sorry for his cousin. He would know; he'd also fallen for the man.

He approached Kun from behind and snaked his arms around his middle. He felt Kun's surprise, but the other caught himself quickly and put a hand on top of one of Ten's arms.

"Hey," Ten said, deciding to rest his chin on Kun's shoulder.

"Hey."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Ten, smiling at his cousin. She had a deep flush on her cheeks, and when Ten met her gaze, she ducked her head to stare at her shoes.

"Just, you know, literature," she answered in a timid voice.

"Yes, Sojung is doing the same major I did!" exclaimed Kun.

"Ah, I see." He turned to Sojung, playfully. "I apologize for my boyfriend's nerdiness. If he gets too much, you can tell him to leave."

Sojung raised her head at Ten, completely shocked, while Kun had started to protest loudly. "I'm not a nerd!"

“You are.” Ten winked at Sojung. “The lamest, nerdiest bookworm…”

He was interrupted when Kun pinched him. Ten wailed but refused to let go of his grip around Kun.

"I'm joking! I'm joking!" Ten finally surrendered when Kun tried to pinch him again. He hesitated before throwing caution to the wind and leaning in playfully to peck Kun on the cheek.

Kun froze for a second. Ten felt him turn in his embrace and meet Kun's gaze. He saw how Kun's eyes traveled slowly on his face, trailing down to his lips. Ten suddenly felt very self-conscious. He could not recoil though, because this was Kun, his supposed boyfriend, and if he was his boyfriend, Ten would be relishing in this kind of attention.

"Pizza is here!" announced his mother from the hall.

Both men turned at the same time towards the hall, seeing the petite woman walk in, boxes of pizza piled in her arms. 

Ten turned back, catching a glimpse of his cousin, who was staring plainly at them, something akin bashfulness in her eyes. Ten let go of Kun and pulled him in toward where his mom had started serving platefuls of pizza.

After lunch, Ten collapsed on the living room sofa. The others joined him soon. Ten listened to the idle chatter between the guests and only opened his eyes once or twice when he heard Sojung ask Kun about his favorite books and authors. Ten was a petty person and would otherwise not appreciate her taking so much of Kun's attention, but he was too tired to care. Soon enough, a familiar figure lodged himself against Ten.

"Tired?" came Kun's soft voice.

"Hmmm."

"You boys should go a nap. Get plenty of rest before the party," suggested Ten's mom. He opened his eyes to see her pat his knee on the way to the kitchen, probably to resume the decorating.

"Come on," said Kun, getting up. Ten only extended an arm, getting a fond sigh from Kun. The older man pulled him up and led him upstairs to their room. Ten collapsed on the bed, pulling Kun along with him.

They settled across from each other. Ten's eyes were closing, but he had enough energy to say, "My cousin is flirting with you."

Kun laughed. "No," he dismissed immediately. "What are you even talking about?"

"Shut up. She's already half-way in love with you. 'Oh! Look! I'm a writer! I'm a young and handsome novelist'..." Ten mocked until Kun slapped him on the arm.

"Shut up," he laughed. "I don't speak like that."

"She didn't leave your side a single minute. She likes you so much she can barely look at you in the eyes."

Kun pushed him, and Ten pushed back. They laughed for a few more seconds.

"But for real, she totally has a crush on you," insisted Ten.

"You think so?" To his defense, Kun really sounded surprised.

"Hmm," confirmed Ten. "You'll notice now that I told you," he finished, closing his eyes. He didn't know how long he remained there, eyes closed, the feeling of Kun's warm body to him, but he was brought back by Kun whispering his name.

"Ten?"

Ten opened his eyes lazily, raising an eyebrow in question to the man who was staring at him.

"It's just the two of us now."

Ten froze in place, the only person in his line of sight being Kun, his kind eyes, his shy smile.

"Do you want to… I was thinking maybe…" Kun raised a hand and slowly trailed it down the side of Ten's face, grazing his cheekbone, until it settled on his cheek. His thumb brushed across his jaw, stopping shy of Ten's lips. This belonged in Ten's wildest fantasies. This belonged in a folder labeled with Kun's name on the list of things he wished the man would do to him. Ten's brain went in overdrive until he understood what Kun was trying to get at.

"You mean the kiss?" he said, sounding a lot more unsure than he wished. Kun heard it too.

"I mean, we don't have to, if you don't…"

Kun motioned to remove his hand, but Ten placed his on top of Kun's.

"No, it's fine. I mean, yes, sure."

Kun scrutinized his face and must have found a reason to be reassured because he smiled and started to lean in. Ten leaned in too. Kun's lips were nearly on his when he closed his eyes.

He felt the soft pressure of lips on his, the warmness of the kiss, and Kun's hand bringing his face just a little bit closer as he kissed him softly. Ten found himself reciprocating, leaning in with his whole body.

It lasted a few seconds, and Kun pulled his lips just a few millimeters away from Ten's. It was Kun's warm breath against his mouth that made Ten lean in again. Kun welcomed him, kissing him long and slow with a tentative brush of his lips.

When Ten pulled away, Kun kept his hand on the side of his face. Ten blinked a few times to see Kun already staring back.

"That wasn't so bad," finally said Kun with an amused smile.

"What can I say? I'm a great kisser," teased Ten almost immediately.

"I didn't say it was great," corrected Kun, smile widening. "I said it was not so bad."

"Stop lying to yourself. This was the best kiss of your life," replied Ten. He didn't think he could ever be more thankful to Kun, for his capacity to joke when Ten needed him to, for his apparent ability to read Ten's every need.

"So full of yourself," Kun murmured with fake disbelief.

Ten slapped him on the chest. Kun laughed.

"Come on. You came for a nap, no?" asked Kun. "How about you leave me alone and get some sleep?"

Ten pushed him again and settled back on the mattress, smiling.

Ten would later text Dejun.

Ten-ah  
so  
i guess we kissed  
twice


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a longer chapter for you all <3

Kun must have fallen asleep too because he opened his eyes to a sleeping Ten. His face was cuddled against his arm, and his body was angled towards Kun, leg slightly hiked up, brushing against Kun's shin. Kun stayed there for a minute, eyes wandering around Ten's face, taking in the way his eyelashes fawned against the pale skin of his cheeks, his pouted lips. 

Kun checked the time on his phone. The guests should start arriving soon. He reached out and shook Ten gently.

"Tennie," he whispered.

The younger man frowned in his sleep.

"Tennie, wake up, baby." Kun froze at his own words.

Ten blinked his eyes opened.

"D'you jus' call me baby?" he yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

"Gotta get in the role, I guess," replied Kun, trying to aim for humor.

Ten laughed, sitting up on the bed. "Yeah, I guess."

Kun saw him look for his phone and said, "It's four-thirty. We've got a half-hour to get ready."

"Well, get the suits out!"

Kun went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Ten had already put on his dress pants and was tucking in a coral-colored shirt when he got out. He looked effortlessly good. Kun went to his black suit, laid out on the bed. He removed and chucked his jeans them aside before slipping on his black pants. He discarded his t-shirt next to put on a white shirt. He was halfway through buttoning it up when he looked up and saw Ten standing there, quietly observing him.

He raised his eyebrows at him, a silent question for Ten. The other man shrugged and came to him, handing Kun his black jacket to slip on next. Kun let Ten help him into it and watched gingerly as Ten pulled on the lapels and brushed a few of the wrinkles away with the flat of his palm.

When Ten was finished, he did not pull back, instead reaching a hand up to weave through Kun's hair. "You should push your hair back a little," he murmured.

Kun hummed, feeling a little light-headed. "You should do it for me."

Ten nodded and delicately started to brush a few strands away from his forehead. Kun's hands automatically found purchase on Ten's small waist.

"There," said Ten, sounding breathless. Kun squeezed where he was holding him once before stepping back.

"Thanks, baby."

Ten scoffed. "I have a feeling you'll be a handful tonight." He turned from Kun, heading for the bathroom. "My turn to get ready. See you downstairs!"

Ten's mother was delighted to see them both looking so dapper. She herself was wearing a simple but elegant black dress, with matching jewelry. Her two best friends had gone to get ready, but Ten's uncle, aunt, and two cousins were already changed. Kun saw Sojung flash him a shy smile before looking down. He thought Ten was teasing him earlier when he said his cousin liked him. Maybe Ten was onto something, he thought, when he saw her flush when he smiled back.

Soon enough, guests started arriving. Kun was whisked away by Ten's mother, and let her introduce him to her family and friends as they walked in, hands filled with presents. He had just greeted one of Ten's mother's cousins when the younger man saved him from having to pretend he could remember yet another name.

"Mom, my boyfriend. Remember?" joked Ten as he intertwined their hands and started pulling him into the living room.

She laughed, batting them away with a hand.

Ten dragged him to the crowded room and said, "Sicheng shouldn't be too far. I saw his mom. Taeyong and Johnny are on their way too."

Kun's step faltered. "Your ex will be here tonight?"

Ten turned to him. "Yeah." He searched Kun's face for a moment, and his uncertainty must have been written clearly on it because he stepped in close to Kun. "It's fine, though. We dated four years ago. I'm over him now. We're just friends." He raised a hand to Kun's arm, squeezed it.

"Yeah?" answered Kun. "We never really, you know, talked about him. I just know he broke your heart…"

Ten laughed at that. "Yeah, he did. But ages ago. I'm fine."

Kun nodded. "Well, if you're sure."

Ten grinned brightly at him, raising both hands to rest on the lapels of Kun's jacket. "I am." He added, "You're so sweet. God, such a protective boyfriend."

"Well," Kun laughed, "I am. Just a word from you, and I'll tell him off."

Ten smiled even more brightly, and Kun thought he saw him lean in imperceptibly when they were interrupted by a voice.

"Fucking christ!"

They both turned to see Sicheng standing right there across from them.

"You're committing to the role now, aren't you?"

There was an edge to his voice, something between sarcastic and incredulous.

Kun felt Ten motion to step back, but he found himself throwing an arm around the other man's waist before he had a chance to get away. "How do we look?" asked Kun.

Their friend observed them for a second, eyes moving from where the two best friends were leaning against each other, to settle on Ten's face for a beat too long. "You look really fucking good together, actually."

Something in Kun roared at the words. He wanted to be told exactly that. He wanted everyone to see how good they looked, how Ten just belonged right there next to him.

"You look good too," said Kun.

"Thanks," replied Sicheng. He had a drink in hand and raised it to his mouth. "So, how's the deception going, so far?" he asked, casually.

"Deception!-" started to protest Ten, but Kun cut right in.

"Very well. I think everybody's believed us so far."

"No kidding," muttered Sicheng.

Before Kun could ask him what he meant, Ten interrupted. "We're good. We've got this." He shifted his attention back on Kun, looking for a sign of approval.

"Yeah, everything's good."

"Ten-ah!"

They all turned in the direction of the voice to see a man their age make his way to them. He threw himself at Ten, who welcomed him with open arms. "Taeyongie!"

Both men hugged for a moment, and Taeyong turned to Sicheng. "Hi!" Another long hug ensued. Ten finally brought Taeyong's attention to Kun.

"Taeyong, you've heard about Kun. Kun, here is Taeyong."

The man in question smiled brightly at Kun. Kun was taken aback by how handsome he looked, with his large eyes and delicate features. Taeyong went directly for a hug.

"Oh, okay, hi," said Kun.

"I've heard so much about you!" exclaimed the younger.

"Not so much," started to protest Ten, but Taeyong continued.

"Yes, so much. At first, I was jealous that Ten had found a new best friend to replace me with. He spoke so much about you, I was scared he'd forget me!" exclaimed the man. "But since I learned you guys are a couple, it all makes sense now…"

"Oh god, shut up," muttered Ten.

"It's true!" Taeyong turned to Sicheng. "Right?"

Sicheng's gaze held something unreadable. "Yes, Ten always spoke so much about you. You dating makes so much sense."

Ten seemed to level Sicheng with a glare that Kun would normally interpret as threatening. Still, he barely had the time to register when someone else joined in.

"Hi, boys!"

A very tall, very handsome guy had walked up to them, and everyone, except for Kun, greeted him excitedly.

They took turns hugging him, and when Ten did, the taller man positively engulfed him. "You look so good, Tennie," the stranger said, stepping back to give Ten an appreciative once over. Kun felt something ugly curl in his stomach at the sight. His worst fear was confirmed when Ten answered, "Aw, thanks, Johnny."

Of course, thought Kun idly, that the taller, more handsome one was Ten's ex. He looked around and saw Sicheng already looking back at him, sipping on his drink slowly.

"Here, let me introduce you to Kun." Kun turned his attention back to Johnny, who offered him a hand to shake.

"Ah, nice to meet you, Kun." Johnny looked him up and down quickly and smiled. "So is it true, what I've heard? Tennie is bringing his boyfriend home for the first time?"

There was a cheeky tone to his voice that was not unkind, but that still managed to rub Kun the wrong way.

Ten settled by Kun's side, putting his two arms around him loosely, sending him the most blinding smile. Kun couldn't help but pull him closer, securing a hand on the small of his back.

"Yeah. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but I think we got the hang of it," answered Ten.

Kun's gaze wandered to the other three boys. Taeyong was smiling sweetly at the two of them, a twinkle in his eyes. Johnny seemed to observe the two of them closely. Sicheng had a slightly jubilant, almost deranged look in his eyes. Kun did not look forward to the endless teasing he knew he'd get from him, and by extension from their friends back home. He knew they would coax every detail of the evening out of Sicheng. He could foresee Yukhei's victorious expressions and Yangyang's attempts at blackmail.

They settled into small talk. It was true that Ten had been talking about him. Taeyong started asking Kun a thousand questions about his writing. Sicheng joined in on their conversation. This left Johnny and Ten to catch up. The younger man did not leave Kun's side for a moment, which he was thankful for. That way, he could eavesdrop on Ten and Johnny's conversation and feel his pretend boyfriend's every laugh resonate in his ribcage. Johnny, Kun decided, was too charming for his own good, and Kun didn't think he'd let go of Ten one second in his presence.

Ten and Taeyong eventually excused themselves to get them drinks, leaving Johnny, Sicheng, and Kun together.

"So," started Johnny, "I've heard from Ten just now that you guys were friends before you started dating?"

Kun approved.

Johnny laughed. "Some things never change," he said, turning to Sicheng as if they were sharing an inside joke. Kun did not like the sound of that, but he didn't have a chance to answer that Sicheng spoke up.

"Yeah. But it's different, though," said Sicheng. "This is not high school," he added. "They're living together."

"Oh," responded Johnny. "You guys are?"

Kun couldn't help but laugh. "I mean, technically, we've always lived together."

"They were paired together as roommates in college," explained Sicheng.

"That's how we met," confirmed Kun.

"Oh. That was you!" Johnny seemed to be connecting the dots. "You're the guy Ten wouldn't shut up about. Sorry man, I didn't make the connection."

"He mentioned Kun to you?" questioned Sicheng.

"Well, never directly. I mean, he did talk all the time about his roommate. And I know he did talk about a certain Kun to Taeyong. I hadn't realized it was the same person."

Kun didn't know to feel proud that Ten had spoken so much about him to his ex or vexed that he never named him.

Ten and Taeyong were just coming back with drinks. They passed them around the little group. Ten stuck close to his side, handing him a glass with a coy smile. "What were you guys talking about?" he asked.

Before Johnny and Sicheng could answer, Kun did. "We were talking about how you and I met, baby."

Ten hummed pleasantly. "Yeah. Sharing one room for three years. Look where that brought us," he said, laughter bubbling out of him.

They all laughed too. They continued chatting for a while, but Kun couldn't help the strange feeling Johnny's words had brought.

Ten leaned into him. "All good?" he murmured against his ear.

Kun tried not to shiver. He put his glass on a nearby table and turned to Ten, putting his two arms around his waist, effectively trapping him to his chest. He leaned to whisper to Ten's ear, "All good."

"I think my friends like you," replied Ten, sounding pleased.

"Hmm. Not so sure about Johnny."

"Of course, he does."

"I wouldn't bet on that. He asked questions. I don't think he's sold on the two of us," continued Kun, speaking with the softest voice. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sicheng observe them both raptly.

Ten hummed, plastering himself across Kun's chest. "Prove him wrong, then."

Kun acted before he realized what he was doing. He tilted his head to the side and closed the distance between their mouths to give him a brief but purposeful kiss.

"Aww!" exclaimed someone at the same time as he heard someone else choke.

Kun broke the kiss only to turn around and see Sicheng coughing and heaving, having clearly choked on his drink. Kun felt himself flush.

Sicheng batted Taeyong away, saying his drink had gone down the wrong way. He looked up in Ten and Kun's direction with a look of pure disbelief before excusing himself to go get a glass of water.

Ten leaned into him. "I think we surprised Sicheng." He sounded sheepish. Kun had to suppress a laugh. "Yeah, I think we did."

As the evening progressed, Kun was pulled to the dining room, discussing with Ten's relatives over food. He got into a debate with Ten's mother and her two best friends over the best way to cook stir-fry. He later found himself in a group of Ten's cousins, including Sojung, playing a ridiculous drinking game. He had lost Ten along the way and was looking for the younger man when he spotted him, in deep conversation with his two uncles.

He looked really good, loosened up by the drinks they've had throughout the night. He had undone the top button of his shirt, but it was still tucked in, showing the lithe lines of his body. Kun couldn't help but be drawn to him, to the fluid movements of his slender waist. Even now, when Ten laughed, he did with his entire chest, as if it bubbled out of him. He couldn’t take his eyes off him. 

He felt a presence beside him and turned to see Johnny standing there, looking in Ten's direction.

"So, enjoying the party?"

Kun nodded briefly. "And you?"

"Yeah." Johnny cleared his throat. "You know about Ten and I, right?"

Kun straight up laughed. "Yes, I do."

Johnny chuckled too. "Well, all I'll say is, you're a lucky guy."

Kun furrowed his brows. "Okay. I mean, I know, but why the sudden confession?"

Johnny brought his drink to his lips. "I don't know. Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic. Maybe I kinda wish it was me."

"You kinda wish it was you?" came Kun's voice, skeptical. He thought he knew what Johnny meant, but he had to check. 

"I kinda wish it was me making him so happy," said Johnny, jutting his chin in Ten's direction.

Kun followed his line of sight. He locked eyes with Ten, who sent him a playful wink before refocusing on his uncle.

"I mean, you kinda got there first," mulled Kun.

"Yeah. And I let him go. One of my biggest regrets, actually." Johnny landed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I mean unless you guys break up. In which case, all's fair in love and war, right?" He side-eyed Kun. "See you later, man!"

Kun was reeling. Had that been a threat? He followed Johnny's whereabouts and saw him go back by Taeyong and Sicheng's side.

That would not do.

Kun redirected his attention to Ten. He was still chatting animatedly to his uncles. Kun was suddenly overcome with the desire to put his hands on him. He wanted to touch him so badly it hurt. This was far from the first time he felt like this, but things were different now. Now he could act on his desires. Not only that, but he also had something to prove. And he had at least an audience of one to prove it to.

He walked in Ten's direction and stopped just a few centimeters behind him. He reached a hand around the other man's waist, right where his shirt was tucked in his trousers. He slid his hand on this place right above the hip, high enough to be considered respectable, low enough to answer his craving. He pressed his fingers in the soft flesh, squeezing once, twice, before he pulled Ten towards him. He thought he felt Ten shiver but attributed it to his own desperate wishful thinking.

Ten was listening to his two uncles retelling him an old family story about his mother, the one where she almost lit her favorite dress on fire trying to bake a cake. He acknowledged Kun's arrival by placing his hand on top of Kun's, where it laid at his waist. When he laughed at his uncles' story, he tipped his head back, leaning back into Kun's shoulder. Kun followed his movement, nosing at the space behind Ten's ear. This time, pressed as they were, Kun did feel him shiver.

What stopped him from pressing further into his best friend's skin was when said man inclined his head in his direction and whispered. "You're awfully demonstrative."

Kun may have had a few drinks, but he was nowhere near inebriated enough to miss the poorly veiled concern in Ten's voice. He squeezed Ten's waist again and brought his mouth to his ear. "No, just convincing everyone here that your devoted boyfriend is head over heels for you." Saying that sentence out loud, a part of him felt like he had stabbed himself in the gut. Another part, the loudest one at this moment, rejoiced. It was exaltation beyond words, a triumph, a coronation.

Ten turned around briefly, lips grazing his cheek in a warm but fleeting kiss. He tuned his attention back to his uncles, who had now launched into the story of the time his mom had beaten up the kid who had tried to steal her bicycle. Kun couldn't really pay attention, not when he finally had Ten where he wanted, in his arms, with Ten leaning ever so slightly into him.

He did lift his gaze to see Johnny already looking back at them from across the room. He turned away, face remaining expressionless.

Not too long after he joined him, Kun was dragged away by Ten's aunt and was now sitting with his aunt and mother in the kitchen. Ten's mom kept refilling his glass with more champagne. They all looked flushed from the warmth or the alcohol, Ten couldn't tell. He himself had a few drinks and felt like moving.

He first got up to go to the bathroom and took some time to splash water on his face and rearrange his hair. When he came back out, he looked for Kun but did not find him where he saw him last. A turn around the house, and he located him in the living room, where a few people were dancing goofily. Kun was with a group of his cousins, standing at the edge of the makeshift dance floor, swaying on his feet as he spoke with them. Sojung was in the group, farther from him but listening intently and laughing at everything Kun was saying.

Ten felt irritation rise in him. Kun said something else, and Sojung laughed prettily, tucking her hair behind her ear. Kun was funny, but not that much, thought Ten, and he decided to rectify the situation.

Ten bee-lined for Kun. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," he said once he reached the small group. "My man's presence is required on the dancefloor." With those last words, he grabbed Kun's elbow and dragged him on the dance floor.

He heard his best friend splutter, but he let Ten lead him to the center of the room.

"Your man's presence? Really? What was that about?" laughed Kun once Ten turned back to face him.

Ten shrugged, starting to sway his hips to the music. "I felt like dancing." After a pause, he added, "How's seducing my cousin going?"

Kun completely froze. "I am not- I'm not seducing your cousin!" he stammered. He looked indignant.

Ten was happy with the reaction he had gotten but faked indifference. "Doesn't look like it."

"You are… You are unbelievable!" the other man proclaimed. "I wouldn't…"

"No need to defend yourself," interrupted Ten. He looked over in his cousin's direction, a mock look of hopelessness in his eyes. "I guess she is prettier than I am."

Kun slapped him on the shoulder. "Shut up."

Ten tried to dodge him. "How can a humble man compete?"

Kun rolled his eyes, tried to slap him again. "We both know you are not a humble man…"

Ten tutted. "Wrong answer." He resumed his dancing, encouraging Kun to do the same. "If you want to win me back, you should answer that I'm prettier than her." He said it to tease his friend but did not expect his answer.

"Of course you are prettier than her," said Kun as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I didn't think I needed to say it."

Ten tried to remain impassive and wished really hard that Kun would not notice the blush rising on his cheeks. Instead, he said, "Good," and resumed his dancing.

Kun was not a bad dancer himself. He had rhythm and responded well to Ten's movements on the dancefloor. Kun always seemed to be tuned in to him, respond to Ten's every move in kind. They remained on the dancefloor for a while, laughing and dancing when Sicheng joined them for an upbeat song. After that, one of Ten's favorite EDM songs started to play, and he let loose, stretching his arms above his head and swinging his hips to the beat. When that song shifted again, it was into something slower, more languid, and couples started flocking the space. Ten was going to ask Kun whether he wanted a drink when the other man pulled him by the waist.

"Is this okay?" he asked softly as he placed a hand on the small of Ten's back, the other just slightly lower on the side of his hip.

"Yes," answered Ten. He hesitated just a second, not knowing where to put his own hands. He opted for throwing his arms around Kun's neck, resting his hands gently there.

Ten couldn't remember a single moment where they had been so close to each other, face to face, for so long. Not even the short kisses exchanged compared to what it felt like, feeling the heat from Kun's body, the solidity of his hands anchoring him in. That was if he could forget how close their two faces were, how well he could see Kun’s kind eyes and the soft curve of his mouth.

Maybe it was how Kun made him feel, or the alcohol in his blood, but Ten felt bold. When the song swelled into the chorus, he stepped closer, almost hugging Kun to him, and shifted his face to rest almost cheek to cheek with Kun. Kun took him in, pressing his body back into him, with his mouth breathing warmly on the skin above Ten's ear.

"We have an audience," chuckled Kun. Ten frowned, looking around the side of the room he could see from his vantage point.

"Behind you," added Kun, swinging them around slowly until Ten saw it.

He had expected Kun to refer to Ten's friends or even his cousin. Instead, he saw his own mother, standing at the entrance of the room, the most tender smile on her face, watching both boys closely. When she met Ten's eyes, her smile grew bigger, more tender, and she winked at him. He didn't know what it was in her expression that made him shy, but he ducked his head into Kun's neck.

The other man felt it because he laughed. "I think she's happy," he said between two chuckles. He pressed Ten closer against him.

Ten nodded. "I think she is, yes."

When the party drew to an end, both boys retreated into their room. "Are you alright?" asked Ten the moment they had closed the door behind them.

"I am," replied Kun curtly. “Really tired, but good.” Ten observed as he ran a finger along his shirt's collar and undid the first button in one swift movement. He had no right to start undressing like that. "Why? Is everything fine?" continued Kun. He whirled around in Ten's direction, going for the second and third buttons.

"Yes, just checking." Ten also started removing the evening's attire.

"Did you have a good time?" asked Kun.

Ten thought back to the different moments now seared onto his brain, Kun's smile as he pulled him to meet his cousins, how it felt to lean into him, their very brief kiss, their embrace on the dance floor. "I did." And he did. He was still high from the feeling of it. Later on, he knew the pernicious hands of self-hatred would crawl their ways into his heart and make him regret he pushed his luck so far. He knew he would come to regret every touch because they wouldn't happen again. Not really. Not in the comfort of his daily life. Not in their shared home, where they slept in two different beds and woke up at two different times, to live their two different lives. He did not want to dwell on it. He had a few days, a few hours of reprise still. "Did you?" he opted to ask in reply.

Kun nodded slowly. "I did. I had a very good time, actually." It was said so faintly that Ten would have thought that Kun felt the same way he did. The next thing Kun said made him freeze. "Is it one of those nights you wish would never end?"

Ten immediately snapped his head up from where he had been unbuttoning his shirt. Something bubbled in him, something fragile and scared. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. "Yes, exactly like that." Ten chuckled, resuming the task at hand. "How did you know?"

"I guess I saw you were having fun," answered Kun. "I guess I know you."

"You do," he confirmed with a shy smile. Ten finally removed his shirt, throwing it across the bed. "Is it okay if I shower first?" he asked Kun, who diverted his eyes quickly from him.

"Sure," his friend answered. Kun had just removed his shirt too, and Ten did not even try to pretend he was not staring. What a study chest, Ten thought, and strong arms, unlike his lithe dancer's body. He was all skinny and pale compared to his best friend. Kun started to unbuckle his belt, and it took him out of his reverie. Ten got his pajamas and toiletries and paddled his way to the bathroom.

When Ten got out of the bathroom, he was wearing his boxer and the same oversized t-shirt he had slept in the night prior. He was toweling his hair. "Bathroom's free!" he said, walking towards the bed. His friend was lying half propped in the bed, scrolling through his phone, looking thoughtful.

Kun acknowledged he heard him with a hum, and finally got up, picked up a fresh pair of underwear and a t-shirt, and bee-lined for the bathroom.

Ten did not waste much time getting into bed. He sat down, pulling the covers over his legs, and looked at his phone.

He had a dozen unread messages from their group chat, another dozen from his private conversation with Dejun, and a few from Sicheng.

He started with Dejun.

Junjun  
hiiii how is it going?  
answer me  
pls

Junjun  
maybe you don't have your phone with you

Junjun  
sicheng's telling me you're having a good night  
^^

Junjun  
omg omg  
ten what  
???!?  
am i seeing what i am seeing?  
omg  
we need to TALK

Ten frowned and decide to look next at their group chat.

He understood right away the frenzy in Dejun's messages.

Sicheng had sent their friends a bunch of photos he took during the party. There was a selfie of the three boys, then other photos of the crowded living room and kitchen. There was a photo of Ten talking with his mom and another selfie of Sicheng, Taeyong, and Johnny. Finally, there was a photo of Kun and Ten together. Both of them were looking in the same direction, smiling. They were standing, Ten's back pressed to Kun's front. Ten could see in the photo that Kun had crept a hand around his waist, and Ten had intertwined his fingers with Kun's.

It looked so right to see them both like this together, to be photographed this way. He cursed Sicheng for having shared this one photo with the whole group, knowing that it would get him his fair share of teasing from them all.

And it did.

Yukhei  
YO MY DUDES  
looking cozy there ^^

yangx2  
Sichengie!  
thnx for the photos  
looks like some people had fun tonight

kunhang  
looks like a great party :)

Junjun  
omg omg omg

Junjun  
i mean  
like kunhang said  
looks like a great party  
:)

Kun  
It was!  
Thanks for the photos Sicheng

Ten went to the messages Sicheng had sent him in their private chat. There were more photos, followed by two short texts.

Sicheng  
thought you'd want those  
we'll need to talk about this ten

The photos included more shots of when they had been talking to Ten's uncles, including one with Kun's mouth very close to his ear, and another, although slightly blurry, of when Ten had leaned back to brush a kiss on his cheek. He had no idea what they looked like when they hugged and flirted. Now he knew. They looked really fucking good. No wonder his mother thought they had been dating this whole time.

The next couple of photos were ones Sicheng had taken when they danced. The first was them standing almost nose to nose, looking intently at each other. It felt so intimate, so loaded, that Ten blushed looking at it. The last photo, Ten expected to see it. He was not disappointed. Despite being partially obstructed by other couples, the image clearly depicted Kun holding Ten closely while the latter had his head buried in his friend's neck. Ten was starting to feel overwhelmed, seeing that Sicheng had immortalized the moment. Ten was fucked. He was truly fucked.

In a moment of impulse, he forwarded the two last photos to Dejun.

Ten  
[photo sent]  
[photo sent]  
not a fever dream  
i am so fucked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! your response to the fic has been AMAZING and I enjoy every comment  
> let me know what you thought of this one~~ see you next week :)


	6. Chapter 6

Ten woke up not exactly cuddling Kun but having thrown one of his legs over his hip. He had to blink a few times, processing the feeling of his bare skin touching Kun's under the cover before he could pull himself together. He tried to gently bring his leg, and himself, on his side of the bed without waking Kun. It seemed to work. The other man was still sleeping soundly, his breath deep, his thorax moving up and down softly under the cover. His hair was ruffled, his face looking puffy with sleep. Ten reflected for a few seconds about how happy he would be if he had remained blissfully unaware of what it felt like waking up next to Kun like this in the morning.

He pulled himself out of bed and silently got dressed before going to the kitchen downstairs.

He made coffee and started cooking breakfast when Kun joined him. He was still rubbing the sleep off his eyes as he stumbled into the kitchen.

"Morning," greeted Ten.

"Hmm," answered Kun, letting himself fall on a chair.

"Tough morning," laughed Ten, cracking a few eggs in a pan.

"I'll wake up, I'll wake up,"

Ten cooked in silence and brought a single plate of eggs and toast for both of them to share when he was finished. He sat down next to the man and handed him a fork. "Eat up," he said, going himself for a forkful of breakfast.

After a slow morning, with Ten's family waking up and dropping by the kitchen to make coffee and eat breakfast, Ten's mom commandeered everyone's help for a cleaning spree.

Ten and Kun were able to escape the last of the cleaning to get ready for the family lunch. Ten's extended family had arrived throughout the morning, arms full of food to share. When they finally joined them back in the dining room, Ten and Kun took place across from his mother and one of his aunts, next to his cousins.

Ten got into a conversation with his mother and his aunt, who were cheerfully retelling him all the gossip he had missed from the night before. Kun had been roped into a conversation about books with his cousins, lead of course by Sojung. The younger had gotten more animated around Kun and was telling him about some person who made video essays about important literature pieces. Ten was occasionally eavesdropping on their conversation, charmed to no end by own nice Kun was, how he seemed so capable to delight everyone.

"I know it's only your first time in the family, Kun, but you fit right in," commented his mother, having herself observed how much everyone seemed to like him.

Kun responded with a gorgeous smile her way. "You make it very easy to feel at home, auntie."

"Oh my god," Ten muttered, rolling his eyes. His mother and aunt laughed at his reaction.

"I say keep this one around," said Ten's aunt jokingly to his mother.

"You heard your aunt, Ten. Keep this one around."

"Meh," shrugged Ten under the amused attention of a growing number of persons around the table. He heard Kun mock-gasp loudly next to him. "Haven't made up my mind about that yet. I'll let you know."

"You haven't made up your mind about me yet?" protested Kun. "We live together."

Knowing he had people's attention on him, Ten decided to just shrug again. That got his mother descending into a fit of giggles.

"Don't worry, Kun. A mother knows best. You can take my word for it, Ten loves you."

If the ground could open and swallow him whole, Ten would welcome his fate with outstretched arms. But that did not happen. He tried not to blush as he pretended to be appalled by his mother's words to make her laugh more.

Ten felt Kun's hand settle on his thigh underneath the table and squeeze. He automatically put his hand on top of Kun's.

"I know you've known each other for a while," started his aunt, "but I don't think I know how you two met."

Ten remained impassive, but he felt Kun stiffen next to him. He should have expected that question, he thought idly. In hindsight, he was surprised it had not come sooner. He intertwined his fingers with Kun's where they were still holding hands under the table. He opted for staying as close to reality as possible.

"We met the second year of college. We were assigned to be roommates." He hoped Kun understood where he was headed with his answer and would follow his lead.

"Oh!" exclaimed his aunt. "But wasn't that, what, three years ago?"

"Four years," confirmed Ten.

"You've been together for four years and didn't tell us?" came her incredulous question.

"No!" replied Ten with a laugh. "God, no. We were roommates first, then friends, then…" he waved his unoccupied hand in the air.

His mother was listening closely to him, while his aunt didn't seem satisfied with the answer. "Wait, so how long exactly have you been together?"

"End of last year of college," replied Ten. That's when his mother had come to visit their future flat. That had to be the beginning of their relationship.

Someone on his left said, "Aw!" while his aunt shook her head. "You tell me you were roommates for years before you started dating? What took you so long?"

For the first time in the conversation, Kun butt in.

"When we met, Ten was seeing someone else," he said, looking at his mother and aunt, expression scandalous.

"Ah, right!" exclaimed his mother.

"Yeah, yeah," explained Ten away. "No one important."

"Yeah… I almost forgot about that boy…" continued his mother.

"See?" waved Ten. "Nobody remembers him. Kun doesn't even remember his name."

"Still, I would never have gone for a guy who was taken," continued Kun, as if the matter was closed. "And we didn't know each other yet. That took some time."

"How long were you with this guy?" Ten's mother asked him.

"Few months. Barely any time. Like I said, he didn't matter."

"So you broke up, and that's when you two started seeing each other," continued his aunt.

"No," answered Kun. "We became friends first."

"Best friends," added Ten softly. Kun's hand squeezed his on his thigh.

"And then?" probed his mother.

Ten responded before Kun would. "Took me a while to sort through my feelings and understand that I wanted more than that," said Ten.

He felt Kun's gaze like heat tracing his profile. Kun moved towards him ever so slightly, knocking their knees together. The rational part of him knew he was right to keep going with the truth.

"But then," continued Ten, trying to make his voice light and humorous, "Kun started dating someone else!"

His aunt laughed in disbelief while his mother grunted.

"Please tell me this is a joke!"

"All true," confirmed Ten.

"In my defense," interjected Kun, "I did not know he felt this way. I wouldn't have dated anyone else if I'd known."

Kun's words felt like daggers to Ten's stomach. Kun didn't have to say that; he didn't. The mere possibility that his words could hold a little bit of truth hurt too much.

"Anyways," continued Kun after a long exhale, "it didn't take long for me to realize that it was Ten I wanted to spend time with, and to see everyday, and to live with after graduation."

Ten's heart constricted. He imagined part of that had to be accurate, that Kun had indeed wanted to live with him. Except that they moved in together just before Kun and Rosie broke up. And by then Ten had tried to move on from Kun and had started a fling with another dancer at the studio he'd been hired at.

Nevertheless, if they took that last part out, the one where the timing was all wrong, it made for a beautiful story to tell his family.

His mother turned to his aunt. "It was Kun who asked Ten to move in together," she said with the biggest smile.

Kun did not let go of his hand as they continued chatting idly, stuffing their stomach with all the great food on the table before getting cake and coffee.

They all insisted that Ten's mother opened her gifts after the cake. When she opened the one from Kun and Ten, she got up from the table to hug them tightly.

"Thank you, my darlings. I love it. Even if my best gift is to have the two of you here."

"It's our pleasure, auntie."

"Yes," echoed Ten.

They eventually moved to the living room, where, heavy with food, they let themselves fall onto the couch. Kun still hadn't let go of Ten and had him pressed tight against him. As the others settled around on the different couches and on pillows on the floor, Kun whispered.

"That went well."

Ten assumed he was referring to the earlier conversation about their relationship. "We forgot to think of a getting together story," replied Ten in Kun's ear. He felt sleepy, heavy with cake, and warm from Kun's body. He would have let his eyes close and doze off if Kun had not responded.

"Hmm." Ten felt the rumbling from where he was pressed against Kun's chest. "I think we did an okay job, though."

Ten saw him look down at him, an expression he would best describe as tender written on his face. "Yeah, I think we did," he confirmed. He looked up at Kun, chin on his shoulder, just in time to see his friend's gaze slowly scan his face. Kun raised a hand to Ten's chin and lifted it up in his direction.

"I'm gonna kiss you now, okay?"

Kun did not wait for an answer that he lifted Ten's chin just a little higher and slowly pressed his mouth against Ten's.

Ten did not know where that kiss came from, but it did not prevent him from melting into it. It was soft and delicate, Kun kept his hand on Ten's jaw, using it to angle his head, pushing ever so slightly into the younger man's mouth.

"Kun?" came Ten's mother's voice from the entrance of the living room. Both men jumped apart at the sound. "Oh! Sorry boys, didn't mean to interrupt," she said with a sheepish smile. "I came to ask Kun's help with getting some of the board games down."

"Sure," answered Kun. He was just a little bit flustered but shook it off quickly to follow Ten's mother out of the room.

Ten licked his lips, still a little shell-shock. He looked around to see some of his family pretending they had not witnessed the moment between the two, while others like his aunt winked at him. Ten blushed.

Right about this moment, Kun's phone on the coffee table in the living room started to vibrate. An incoming call. Ten picked it up and looked at the caller ID to be met with Yukhei's name and photo. The call ended, and Ten was just thinking that he'd have to let Kun know Yukhei called when he saw the lock screen to Kun's phone. It was one of the photos Sicheng had sent the night before to the group chat, the one where Ten was leaning against his chest, their hands intertwined on his waist, both of them smiling.

The phone's screen went to black, so Ten pressed on the home button to see it again. There was no mistaking. Kun had made this photo his lock screen.

Something swelled in his heart, something fragile and fluttering. Something that felt a little bit like yearning. Right at that moment, Kun came back, boardgames stacked in his arms, followed by Ten's mom, who was happily chatting away. Ten put the phone down on the table.

"Who's ready for a game?" she asked around the room.

Kun put the games down before he settled back next to Ten. He threw his arm around Ten's shoulder, bringing the younger man into him. "We're ready!" he replied for both of them.

It was near the end of the afternoon when Ten and his mother went back to the kitchen to prepare snacks for them all.

Kun followed, sitting at the breakfast counter to keep out of the way. Ten felt observed as he got bags of chips out, getting other snacks and dips on a tray table to transport back into the other room.

"We have some leftover bottles of wine from yesterday," suggested Ten's mom with a smile.

"Yes, day drinking. Let's bring it," acquiesced Ten. He heard Kun laugh. He turned around to see the man already looking back, smiling. He made his way to him, leaning his hip on the counter next to Kun.

"I hadn't originally planned to have everyone for dinner, but everybody's having so much fun," continued speaking Ten's mother. She was in the process of piling up glasses to bring in the living room. "I can order something. Is there anything you'd both like to have for dinner?" she asked both men.

Before he could answer, he felt two hands creeping up to his waist.

"I thought I might steal Ten for the night," said Kun, pulling him between his opened legs.

For a second, Ten thought he was going to blackout.

"What a wonderful idea!" Ten heard his mother say behind him. "Don't worry about us. Go on your date."

Date. The word echoed in Ten's head. It made him feel a little queasy, a little light-headed.

"Sure," he ended up saying. He tried to offer Kun a playful smile. "Tell me, Kunnie, what exactly did you have in mind?"

"The Italian you mentioned on our drive here. The one you said was your favorite," answered Kun almost immediately.

Ten's thoughts faltered again. Kun had remembered. Did he have to be so thoughtful towards him? Did he have to be so considerate, even though their relationship was fake? Kun squeezed his hand around his waist, waiting for an answer.

Ten wanted to answer with a sarcastic comment, but instead, he blurted, "You remembered."

"Of course, baby," answered Kun.

Ten's mom squealed beside them, reaching for her phone. "I'll call to book you two boys a table."

"Thank you," smiled Kun in her direction.

At this very moment, Ten's cousin barged in the kitchen. "Kun-ah! I wanted to show you-"

She interrupted herself when she saw the man she was looking for, hands on Ten.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"No, it's fine, Sojung," answered Kun. Despite his words, he pulled Ten closer to him until he could rest his face against his abdomen. Ten's breath stuttered at the movement, but he automatically reached out for Kun's shoulders. 

"What is it?"

The young woman blushed deeply, trying not to stare. "It's nothing important, it's just the uh… the video I was telling you about earlier…"

Sojung and Kun conversed for a few seconds before Ten's mom finally hung up.

"It's all booked, boys! Table at seven for you two."

Kun smiled at her before he looked up at Ten, resting his chin on his stomach. "I can't wait," he said with a soft smile.

"Me too," he answered with the same smile. At the corner of his eyes, he saw that Sojung's eyes had rounded.

"You guys should get ready for your date! Come on, move along!" Ten's mom hushed them gently.

He brought Kun back up to their room and could not repress his laughter as he closed the door.

"I hope you're happy now. She won't be flirting with me again," laughed Kun.

"Good," answered Ten. "People should know to not flirt with my boyfriend."

"Possessive much?" teased Kun.

Ten eyed him. "Actually, yes. Very." It was not even banter. He meant it.

Something passed in Kun's eyes. He smiled and replied, "Good. Me too."

Kun watched as Ten chose for him a nice long-sleeved white shirt with a casual jean jacket to wear over it. When Ten deemed the outfit satisfactory, he pushed Kun in the direction of the bathroom to change. When he got out, Ten was dressed in a black cashmere sweater with a low-cut round neckline. He looked really good, Kun thought, gaze trailing Ten's collarbones, traveling up the side of his exposed throat. The evening would be the two of them, and Kun was looking forward to having Ten to himself. He was also looking forward to dropping the act and just be there. With Ten.

The moment they stepped out of the house and drove away, Kun already felt a shift in the air. He saw Ten slump against the seat and slap Kun's arm faintly.

"God, this is going to be great."

Kun was able to grab his hand and lace their fingers together while keeping his eyes on the road. He squeezed it once, twice, before letting go of it. "Yeah, I thought it would be good to, you know, catch a break. Just be ourselves for a moment."

"You're a genius," stated Ten.

Kun was taken aback when he saw the restaurant. It was a small and beautiful family business. The interior looked cozy, with black leather seats, a wall of cascading vines, and fairy lights. He loved it. The hostess showed them to a small table for two tucked in a corner.

Ten let himself fall on his seat. "I can't wait. I swear. It's so good."

Kun hummed as he sat down. Soon enough, the waiter arrived and handed them the menu. "Would you like something to drink first?" he asked them.

"Red wine?" Kun asked Ten. The younger man nodded.

"I can recommend a Montepulciano, a Pinot Noir…"

"Pinot noir, thank you," cut Kun in.

The waiter noted it down. "I'll be right back to you to take your orders," he said before leaving.

Ten raised an eyebrow at Kun in question. "This Pinot wine…"

"Yes, it's the one you like," interrupted Kun, eyes already back on the menu.

"What would I do without you," singsonged Ten.

"Drink bad wine, apparently."

Ten kicked him under the table, which only made Kun chuckle.

In the end, Kun ordered the lasagna, while Ten went for tagliatelle. The waiter filled in their wine glasses and left them with a smile.

"So, I'd say this is going well," said Kun, sipping on his wine.

Ten hummed as he also took a drink.

"I guess we make a convincing couple," continued Kun. He meant it. He thought they'd been able to convince everyone at the party and the family gathering.

"I guess so," replied Ten, setting his glass back down, staring at his hands on the table.

"You guess so?" said Kun, trying to kick Ten's leg under the table but missing him.

"Yeah. Not gonna lie," said Ten, raising his eyes to Kun. "I think we're doing too good of a job." There was something fragile in his eyes, something almost sad in them.

Kun reached out before he could reign himself in. "Hey. What's up? Talk to me." He took one of Ten's hands in his, intertwining their fingers.

Ten smiled at him, looking just a little bit forlorn. "You're such a sweet boyfriend."

"Jesus, Ten," muttered Kun. Ten laughed at him. "You can't just say shit like that," he said, bringing his free hand to his forehead.

"Why not?" huffed the younger man. It seemed that his mood had changed, because he started teasing Kun. "It's true. You charm the pants off my mom. You take me out on dates. You check up on me all the time. Do you have to be so sweet?"

"I'm always sweet!" protested Kun.

Ten huffed. "Not to me. Not like that." Then, teasing again. "I'm not sure I want to go back to being roommates. Can't you treat me like that all the time?"

Kun's heart stuttered in his chest. Yes, he wanted to say. I can. I want to.

"I'm sweet," he repeated, less convincingly.

Ten eyed him, looking skeptical. "No, you're not. You get stuck in your writing, and you ignore me," pouted Ten. He raised Kun's hand from the table, started playing with his fingers gently. "You have the posture of a gargoyle. One day I'll come home, and you'll have petrified on your computer chair."

Kun couldn't help the loud laughter that escaped him. "I'll have petrified? You're unbelievable," he added, shaking his head. "I don't know why you think you're any better. You come home so tired, you only ever pay attention to me when I cook you food."

"Hmm. Food," smiled Ten.

"See?" asked Kun, convinced Ten had just proven his point.

"What can I say? I love your cooking," Ten shrugged, still playing with Kun's fingers.

"Yeah?"

Ten frowned at him. "Of course. Why do you think I ask you to cook all the time?"

"Because you're lazy?"

"No!" exclaimed Ten, looking insulted. "I actually love your cooking."

"You do?" repeated Kun, still unbelieving.

"Yes! I just said! I like it when you cook for me." Then, slightly more softly, Ten added, "I like when you take care of me."

Kun felt like the air had been punched out of him. "Okay," he said dumbly. "I'll try to remember that."

"Good," nodded Ten just before their waiter came back with their food.

Kun congratulated himself on taking Ten out the moment he tasted the lasagna. "Oh my God, Ten. This food is amazing!"

"I know, right?" replied the younger man, happily digging into his own food.

Despite it being a Saturday night, the place was not too busy, and Kun could appreciate the relaxed ambiance, the wine and food, and being away from groups of people for a night. He savored being in Ten's company, and only his, while they commented on the food, chatted happily about Ten's family, and debriefed a little bit on Ten's friends.

"Speaking of the boys, I wanted to go hang out with them tomorrow."

"Sure, of course. That's why we're staying an extra day."

"You sure you don't mind?" double-checked Ten. He had finished his plate and put it aside. Kun was scrapping the last of his sauce on his plate.

"Of course I don't mind. I'll stay home and catch up on my emails, maybe write a little."

"Okay," nodded Ten.

Kun was fighting back the desire to reach over and take Ten's hand in his again. Instead, he blurted, "Will Johnny be there?"

Ten quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yeah. Taeyong, Johnny, Sicheng, and me. Why?"

"No reason," tried to wave Kun, but Ten didn't buy it.

"Kunnie. Why?"

"I said, no reason."

"I said I was over him. It's fine!" Ten gave him a belligerent look.

"I'm not asking because of you," replied Kun, almost instantly regretting his words when Ten perked up.

"What? Why are you asking for then?"

"I said, it's nothing. It's not important."

Ten remained in silence for a few seconds, scanning Kun.

"You know," he started carefully, "I saw you and Johnny speak during the party. When I was with my uncles. You two were speaking."

Dammit. Kun suddenly felt cornered. He raked a hand through his hair.

"Yes, we were."

When he did not continue, Ten pressed. "Were you talking about me?"

"Yes. Well, at least he was."

"Kun, what did he tell you?"

Kun didn't know what to answer. Should he shield Ten from what Johnny had told him, or tell him the truth? Kun prided himself in not being a dishonest man, so he couldn't help but opt for the righteous path, despite the consequences.

"I think he was trying to get a rise out of me."

"What?" said Ten. Something in Kun's face must have looked serious enough for Ten to go from incredulous to sober. "Well, I thought I was the only one capable of that."

Kun's laugh was terse to his own ears, but he didn't care. "I'm afraid to say you're not. Turns out Johnny can, too."

"Kun, what the hell did he say?" The seriousness in Ten's tone urged him to explain.

"He said he regretted breaking up with you all those years back. He basically said that if you left me, he'd make a move on you."

Ten's mouth had popped opened in disbelief. "What? He said what?"

"If we're being specific, he said, 'All is fair in love and war,' and then he left."

Kun didn't know what he was expecting by being so transparent about his earlier conversation with Johnny. Maybe he expected Ten to laugh it off, or perhaps even slight annoyance. He did not expect the rage he saw in his friend's eyes.

"He said that to you? To your face?"

When Kun nodded, Ten raged on.

"That absolute fucker. I can't believe the nerves of him…"

"Hey, hey, Ten." He stretched over the table to grab both of Ten's hands in his.

"I didn't have the chance to tell him off, but I would have. You don't speak like that to your ex's current boyfriend and expect him to be fine with it."

"I would have paid good money to see that," was able to snicker Ten.

"Well, I'm not saying it would have worked," laughed Kun.

"So what? You'll think he'll try to make a pass on me?"

Kun shrugged. "Yes?"

"Kunnie..." said Ten, leaning towards him.

"Just please don't flirt with Johnny." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

Ten looked positively offended. "I won't!"

"Yeah?"

"Of course! I won't let him. You know that, right?"

Kun could only shrug again.

"Kun. We're together now. I mean… I mean, in this scenario, we're together…" he explained. "I won't flirt with Johnny. I would never do that."

He said it in such a supplicating voice, Kun could nod. "I know, baby."

His eyes could be betraying him, but he thought Ten got a lovely shade of pink.

On their drive back, Ten stretched on his seat, rubbing his stomach. "That was great. I told you, right? Best pasta ever."

Kun smiled, reaching his hand over to take Ten's. The younger man laced their fingers together, starting to absentmindedly brush his thumb across Kun's knuckles. Kun had to consciously focus on the road, lest he drove the car in a ditch.

"This was a great date," finally blurted Ten out.

Kun agreed.

"Certainly one of the best ones I've had," added Ten, almost to himself.

Kun clutched his hand a little tighter. "Hum. If this was a date," said Kun carefully, "would this be the part where I drive you home?"

"Yes," laughed Ten. "If you were a gentleman, you'd be walking me up to my porch."

"Well, that's where we're headed," chuckled Kun.

"Maybe I'd even get a good night kiss, who knows?" questioned Ten, voice full of mirth.

"I'd rather you invite me in for a drink," replied Kun.

"The audacity!"

They both laughed. Arriving at the house, they could see from the cars parked outside and the light pouring out the windows that many of the guests were still there. As they reached the front door, Kun could hear chatter coming from the house. He turned to Ten, who was also standing on the porch, facing him. He was nervously fiddling with his fingers, not exactly looking at Kun in the eyes.

This was what they just discussed, how Kun would walk him to his door after a date. How he’d give him a goodnight kiss. A strange sort of nervousness floated in the air for a few seconds, anticipation mixed with nerves. Kun would not let this opportunity escape him. Kun took a step in Ten's direction, forcing the young man to raise his head and meet his gaze. Without a word, Kun brought both hands to Ten's face, framing it delicately between his two palms. One hand traveled back, fingers raking through Ten's hair to settle on the side of his neck. He felt Ten lean in, and Kun tilted his head slightly to press their lips together. Kun kissed him once before he withdrew, angled his head further to the side, and slit their lips together again. He felt two hand fist in the fabric of his shirt and spurred by Ten's actions, Kun pressed into the kiss, opening his mouth slightly to nip at Ten's lower lip. The reaction was immediate as Ten's lips parted, allowing Kun in. He felt Ten sigh against his lips before pressing again, harder, finally reveling in the taste of Ten as their tongue brushed. Kun gave him another last, deep, long, open-mouthed kiss.

Kun had to pull away, afraid that he wouldn't know how to stop if he continued. Ten stood there looking dazed, pupils blown wide and mouth swollen red. Kun licked at his own lips, still able to taste Ten on them. He cleared his throat, willing the awkwardness away.

"How's that for a goodnight kiss?"

It took Ten a second before he looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "How's that for-" He then laughed and shook his head. "That was okay, I guess," shrugged Ten.

Kun would be insulted if he didn't know Ten, if he didn't know how he liked to tease him endlessly. "You're right," he shrugged in return. "An okay kiss for an average date."

"Hey!" protested Ten as Kun opened the door.

They walked in to a lively living room. They chatted away to the remaining guests, not leaving each other's side one moment. Kun eventually told Ten he was exhausted and would go up. Ten followed.

When Kun finally fell asleep that night, it was to the desperate wish to reach over the distance between their two bodies and put his mouth on his best friend's again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys liked it~~ let me know your thoughts in the comments <3 <3


	7. Chapter 7

Kun would not have to wait a long time to get the kiss he had longed for the previous night.

When he got down to the kitchen, he saw Ten sitting at the breakfast bar, chatting with his mom. Still half asleep, Kun paddled his way to Ten. Without thinking, he latched himself onto the younger man, who laughed and opened his arms for him to cuddle into. Once Kun was settled into his side, Ten turned and planted a kiss on his lips.

Kun, not fully awake yet, was not happy with how quickly it went and dived back again for another longer, sleepy kiss.

“Morning,” greeted Ten as he let Kun’s head fall onto his shoulder. “Sleepy bear.”

Kun grunted into his neck.

“I understand you plan to stay home this afternoon and work, Kun?” asked Ten’s mother.

Kun straightened himself almost immediately, having completely forgotten she was in the same room.

She laughed, “Oh, don’t mind me. I love to see you two cuddle.”

Kun felt his face get warm but did not remove himself from Ten’s lap. “Yeah, I was thinking of maybe catching up on some work while Ten goes to see his friends.”

“Sure, make yourself comfortable. I have some things to do myself today around the house.”

Kun stayed in the kitchen as Ten went through the motion of getting ready.

Kun had finished his first cup of coffee when Ten came back, fully dressed, and writing on his phone. “Johnny will pick me up first, then the others. We’ll spend together, maybe go out for lunch. You’ll be fine?” asked Ten, finally putting his phone down.

“Yes, I will,” confirmed Kun with a smile. “I hope you have fun with your friends today.”

Ten looked pleased at that, smiling at him broadly. “I think I will.”

“Try not to miss me.”

“As if.”

It felt weird, Kun thought, to not reach out to Ten, to not get up and give him a good day kiss once Johnny texted that he had pulled up in the driveway. But there was no reason to. He wasn’t stupid with sleep, nor was Ten’s mom present. There was no audience, no excuse to hide behind. He saw Ten hesitate too before he took a step back and waved. “See you later.”

Kun tried not to dwell on it, on him missing Ten already even though the younger man had just walked through the door. He had things to do.

He started by spending some time on his tablet, re-reading the last few chapters he had written before leaving for the extended weekend. It took him a solid few hours to go through the text, making edits and taking notes as he went. Eventually, Ten’s mom walked into the kitchen, looking surprised to find him there.

“Oh honey, we could settle you somewhere nicer. You can use the kitchen table if you want, or the living room.”

Kun thanked her but told her he was perfectly fine at the breakfast bar.

“You say that, but that can’t be good for your back.”

Kun laughed. “Ten tells me the same thing all the time,” he informed her. “He always comments on my posture.”

“Oh, dear. He’s always been a little bit like that. That’s because he cares for you.” She had turned her back to go through the fridge, pulling a few containers of the previous days’ leftovers.

It was not the first time that she stated so bluntly how much Ten cared for him, how much Ten loved him. Every time she did, Kun did not know how to feel. Somehow it brought him back to a faint memory he had, from their sophomore year, from when Ten had first explained his mother’s birthday tradition. He had told Kun back then that he could not bring his boyfriend with him because he knew his mother would see that Ten did not love him.

If his mother indeed knew Ten so well, what did it mean that she kept saying he loved Kun?

Kun threw caution to the wind. “He does?” he asked quietly. When Ten’s mom whirled around with a questioning eye, he clarified. “He does care for me?”

The woman opened her mouth, looking shocked. “Of course he does, sweetheart. He more than cares for you. He’s in love with you. Certainly, you don’t need me to tell you that.”

Kun cleared the lump that had appeared in his throat. “It just means a lot coming from you. From his mother.”

Ten’s mom smiled reassuringly at him. She walked around the breakfast counter and took his hands in hers.

“As your boyfriend's mother, I can one hundred percent confirm that my son loves you with all of his heart.” Kun felt the heat rise on his cheeks. “Trust me, Kun. A mother knows.”

She let go of his hands and resumed preparing them both lunch.

Kun was still feeling dizzy from Ten’s mother’s statement. After lunch, he decided to go to their bedroom and lie down for a little while. He thought a short nap would do him good, but he found himself turning the events of the past few days over and over in his head. Finally giving up on the idea of a nap, he reached for his phone and dialed Yukhei’s number.

His friend picked up at the second ringtone.

“Kun-ge! I tried to call yesterday.”

“I know, I saw. I was busy…”

“I figured. What’s up, my man? Spill.”

Kun laughed at the order. “I don’t know where to start…” he confessed after a few seconds.

“Have you guys fucked already?”

Kun was surprised by the crudeness of his words. “Yukhei!”

“What?” answered his friend, offended. “I’ve seen a photo of you all over each other. Let a man hope.”

“Jesus christ…” muttered Kun. “No, we haven’t… you know.”

“Ok. Well, tell me. How are things going?”

“We, huh- It went really well, actually. And we just pretended to be a couple, you know? Holding hands and cuddling each other. And I got along well with all his family and his friends. And yesterday, we sort of went on a date?”

“You went on a what?”

“A date. I think. I’m not sure. It wasn’t supposed to be a date, just, you know, some time away from the whole family.”

“Yeah. That’s called a date.”

“Yukhei...” started Kun, but he soon realized he did not know what to say to complete his threat. Instead, he continued. “It’s just weird, you know. We crossed so many boundaries. Like this morning, I was still half-asleep, and I kissed him without realizing that’s what I was doing…”

“You guys kissed?” exclaimed Yukhei.

Kun hoped he was not currently in public because Yukhei had a tendency to get loud, and Kun knew he would get louder with what he was about to tell him. “We did. Like many times.”

“You what?! How did you… how did you not start with that? You guys kissed?”

“Yeah... We even kissed in front of Sicheng once…”

“You what? That little snake. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me!”

“It was just a few kisses here and there to, you know, convince the family.”

Yukhei laughed loudly. “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

“But that’s the thing. Yesterday, when we came back from dinner, we sort of joked that we were on a date. And Ten said if we were on a date, he’d want a goodnight kiss. So when we arrived home, I gave him one. A goodnight kiss.”

Yukhei was spluttering on the other side of the line.

“And this morning again. I didn’t even have to think about it. I was half-asleep, and I kissed him. In front of his mom!”

“Kun. My dude. Isn’t that the point, though? Aren’t you doing that for her?”

Kun had to agree. They did. They did all of that for her. “I guess I just don’t know what is real and isn’t anymore. Like I said, we crossed so many boundaries, and I don’t know…. I don’t know…”

“You don’t know whether you want to uncross them.”

Kun hated that Yukhei had to be the voice of wisdom sometimes. “Yeah, I guess.”

“When you said you don’t know what is real and what isn’t anymore, what did you mean?” asked his friend.

Kun pondered on that question for a moment. “I don’t know. Like how real it feels between us. How natural. How easy it was to convince everyone that we’re in love... I mean, just now, his mom told me that a mother knows when her son is in love, and she said he loves me.”

Yukhei remained silent for a few seconds, something highly unusual for him. When he spoke, Kun had a feeling he knew what he would say. “Kun, listen. I wouldn’t give you this advice if I didn’t think you had a chance. I think you should go for it, man. Just fucking go for it.”

*

When Ten came back later in the afternoon, it was with the express purpose of finding Kun. He had spent a great afternoon with his friends, and they had made plans to go to dinner together. Ten would not go without inviting Kun, and he was reasonably sure his best friend would accept.

“Kunnie!” exclaimed Ten as he walked into the kitchen. Said man was seated at the breakfast counter, reading on his tablet. He was still wearing his pajama t-shirt, and Ten’s heart squeezed in his chest at the sight of him. He all but forgot Sicheng, Taeyong, and Johnny, who had followed him in.

“Hey!” greeted Kun, looking at the group of boys walking in. His eyes trailed to Ten. “Hi baby,” he said before dragging him in and planting a full, eager kiss on his mouth. Ten forgot how to breathe for a second. “Hey,” he greeted back breathlessly once Kun let go of him. Kun pecked him again on the lips. Ten had forgotten entirely what he was doing there and what he was about to ask when Sicheng spoke up.

“So we were heading out for dinner, and Ten suggested we came back to bring you along. You in?” asked their friend. He was watching the both of them, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

Ten blushed and went to take a step out, but Kun secured his grip around him. “Sure, I’d love to!” he answered. “Do you give me a minute to go get changed?”

“Sure, man.”

Kun turned to Ten, who had not entirely recovered from the situation. “I’ll be right back,” he said, planting another kiss on Ten’s mouth.

Ten was sure his blush got deeper. By the time he turned around to face his friends, Kun had already disappeared upstairs.

“God, the two of you are awful,” said Sicheng.

Ten leveled him with a warning stare. He knew the situation they were in, and it was better he did not mention it in front of everyone else.

“You’re just jealous,” chipped in Taeyong. “I think they look cute. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ten so in love before.”

Something in Ten, something delicate that he had buried there a long time ago, was stirred by that comment. All of his years of friendship, of want, of denial, all of them culminating in him standing in his kitchen, being kissed by the one person he couldn’t really have. His life was a goddamn tragedy.

“Hey, that’s not really nice of you to say,” said Johnny, elbowing Taeyong in the ribs.

“What? It’s true! Right Ten?”

All three men turned to him for confirmation. Ten could only nod. It felt like surrender. It felt like defeat.

“See?”

“Listen, I know, it’s just not very nice to say in front of his first love!” argued Johnny.

That made Ten frown. Of course, Johnny had been his first love. And had broken his heart. But they were so young. They knew barely anything of the world. What he had with Kun was so much stronger and sturdier. He was his best friend.

“I mean,” cut in Ten before his two friends started bickering, “it’s true you were my first love, Johnny. But Kun is probably the love of my life.”

And just as he said it, he realized how true it was. Kun was the love of his life.

Taeyong brought his hands to his heart. “Awww!” he exclaimed while Johnny widened his eyes at him. Sicheng had a look of pure shock written on his face. Ten would have to deal with him later.

Kun finally thundered down the stairs. “I’m ready!” He had put a cream-colored sweater over a white shirt and was sporting skinny black jeans. He had pushed his hair back, and they were falling softly on the side. Nobody had any right to look so good wearing a librarian’s clothes. Ten wanted to cry.

The other guys smiled and waved. “Come on!”

“Are you taking your car, Ten?” asked Johnny on their way out.

“Yes, I think that makes sense since we’ll come back here.” He turned to Kun. “You’ve got the keys?”

Kun reached for them in his pockets. “Yes, baby.”

Sicheng made a retching noise as they stepped outside. The three other men went to Johnny’s car. Ten and Kun walked to their own. Before Kun stepped to get on the driver’s side, Ten reached out, delicately slipping a hand in his hair. “You look good like that,” he said.

“You think?” asked Kun, doe-eyed.

“Yes, very,” said Ten, already leaning in for a kiss. Their lips connected, and Ten felt Kun lean in into it. It was Kun who broke it first, pushing the younger man to his side of the car.

Ten opened the door and put his seat belt on in a daze. Why had he done that? Why had he kissed him like that? There was no one looking, no audience to put on a little show for. He had to come to terms with the fact that he had done it because he wanted to. Kun must have wanted it too, he thought, reflecting on the way he’d reciprocated every kiss.

He was interrupted in his internal dialogue by Kun joining him in the car.

“So, where are we going?” asked the older man as he put the key in the ignition.

“It’s a BBQ place. I’ll tell you where to go.”

*

Dinner had been good, and Kun would have eaten his body weight in meat if he had not been so distracted by the way Ten touched him constantly. He had returned every touch in jest, keeping in mind what Yukhei had told him earlier. Go for it, Kun. Go for it.

After dinner, they decided to migrate to the local bar to get drinks. More friends from Ten’s high school years joined them there. Kun was standing at the bar with Sicheng and Taeyong, while Ten was busy being his usual social butterfly, going from one person to the next, joking with hometown friends.

Kun couldn’t help but notice how Johnny had been staring at Ten the entire night. He was not blind, he saw how Ten basked in the attention literally anyone would give him. Kun didn’t think it was different with Johnny. Ten just laughed and joked around him the same as with everyone. But for Kun, Johnny wasn’t everyone. He was Ten’s ex. His ex, who broke his heart before college. And he was tall and charming and funny, and Kun hated everything about each one of those characteristics.

He hated knowing that Johnny regretted Ten.

So when Ten and Johnny came back to their little group, Kun felt triumphant at the fact that Ten had come straight to him. He did the selfish thing, again, and brought him flush to him. Ten let himself be pulled wordlessly as if it was the most normal thing for two best friends to do.

“I’m thirsty,” whined Ten. “Get me a drink.”

Kun raised his eyebrows at the order. “Get yourself a drink.”

Ten sent him a pointed look before looking down where he was caged in by Kun’s arms. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

Kun rolled his eyes but refused to let go. Instead, he waved at the barman who took his order.

“See, wasn’t so hard,” murmured Ten to him.

“Aren’t you two cozy?” mocked Sicheng.

If looks could kill, Sicheng would be dead from the way he glared at him.

“Hey, isn’t that Jaehyun?” suddenly asked Johnny. Taeyong seemed to perk up at that. Johnny was already pulling him by the arm. “Let’s go say hi!”

The two men left, followed closely by Sicheng, who muttered something about refusing to be the third wheel. Good for Ten and himself, he thought, as he turned to the man drinking his cocktail in his arms.

“Who’s Jaehyun?”

Ten smiled before putting the drink down on the bar. He readjusted himself in Kun’s hold. “Friend from high school. Taeyong used to have the biggest crush on him.”

“Used to?” asked Kun as he saw a flushed Taeyong laughed timidly at something Jaehyun was saying.

“Yes. At least that’s what he says.” Ten leaned into him, putting an idle hand on Kun’s side.

That’s when Kun saw him. He turned his head slightly, speaking into Ten’s ear. “Tell me you see that?”

“See what?” laughed Ten.

“The way Johnny is looking at you right now.”

Ten scoffed. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m not, look!”

He felt Ten move his head a little bit, then hum softly. “He can’t take a clue, can he?” Kun heard him whisper.

“What?”

“I said, after seeing us like this for days, he should know better.”

“Well, maybe we should make a statement,” suggested Kun, despite his better judgment. He had all day to think about it. To think about going for it. He would not back down now.

Ten detached himself from him to be able to look at him in the eyes. “You are not proposing to me,” replied Ten. “My mother would be too happy, this can’t happen.”

“Jesus, Ten, I wasn’t thinking about a proposal,” laughed Kun.

“What, then?”

“We could put on a show?” The words were out of Kun’s mouth before he could stop himself. He really was a masochist.

“A show?”

“Something like this,” said Kun, bringing a hand in Ten’s hair and pulling him up for a searing kiss.

It felt so right, Kun thought, to lick at Ten’s lips, to feel him mold himself against his body. After a long moment, he broke the kiss.

Ten looked stunned, lips red with spit. He searched Kun’s face for a second before asking. “Is he looking? Is Johnny looking?”

Kun looked up to the crowd to see that Johnny was indeed still looking in their direction.

“Yeah, yeah, he is,” nodded Kun.

“Good,” said Ten before closing the distance between them again. Ten kissed him with his whole body, one arm reaching behind Kun, the other resting at his collar to pull him close. Kun answered in kind, tilting his head and kissing his best friend. He slid his lips gently against Ten’s, pressed them over and over again until he couldn’t help himself anymore. He pressed his tongue against Ten’s lower lip. Ten’s mouth opened with a soft moan, allowing Kun to push into it, tongue brushing against tongue.

None of their kisses had been half as passionate as this one, and Kun could feel himself getting completely lost in it. He savored every press of lips, every brush of Ten’s tongue. He felt Ten reposition his hips against his and Kun’s leg naturally slit between Ten’s. This brought a type of friction that had both of them pant in the kiss. Kun tried his best not to move too much or press his leg up between Ten’s, exerting every ounce of self-control he was capable of while still savoring the way his friend tasted.

Ten broke the kiss first only to plant his mouth across Kun’s jaw, kissing and biting his way up until he reached the sensitive spot below his ear. “Take me home, please,” murmured Ten before latching his mouth again on Kun’s skin.

Kun felt like he was hallucinating. Every inch of Ten’s body was on his, and he had the younger man kissing up and down his neck. He tipped his head sideways, feeling completely hazed. He got his hand up Ten’s shirt to scratch at the skin there, which had Ten press his hips down on Kun’s leg, and Kun thinking he was about to die.

“Kun, please. Please take me home.”

Kun pulled him to his mouth and kissed him deeply before disentangling their bodies. He took him by the hand to guide him out of the bar, not acknowledging any one of their friends on their way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shower me with a thousand bibles

Kun led him to their room. Ten closed the door behind them as Kun turned to face him. His best friend reached out for him and reached for his waist with both his hands to pull him close. Ten could barely spare a thought to what was happening, what was going on in this instant. He acted on instinct, on pure desire. He let himself be pulled and braced himself on Kun’s chest. The other man tugged him closer still, splaying both hands across the small of his back. Ten felt small, he felt held, and he loved it. His mind was completely blank as he tilted his face towards Kun, leaning forward until he caught Kun’s lower lips with his. His friend let him lead the kiss and nibble on his lip until he took control. With a hand on his back, he drew Ten into him, while he reached a hand up his hair to hold him firmly in place as he claimed his mouth. Ten’s moan was muffled by Kun’s mouth on his, but he knew Kun heard him when he pivoted them and started walking Ten towards their bed. Kun kissed him filthily before pushing him down on the bed. He followed suit and his mouth found Ten’s again as he pressed him down on the mattress. 

Ten’s hand had started wandering up and down Kun’s chest. He pulled at the shirt the man had tucked in his pants and dipped his hands underneath the fabric. Ten knew what that shirt hid, the expanse of flawless skin he couldn’t wait to touch and taste. Kun faltered at the touch, breathing ragged, and answered in kind by pulling one of Ten’s legs around his hip. He settled between Ten’s legs, rocking slightly as he deepened the kiss. 

Ten moaned loudly into Kun’s mouth, letting the other man rock his hips again into Ten’s core. 

“Fuck, Kun,” barely had the time to mumble the younger man that his partner shut him up again with an open-mouthed kiss. Kun deliberately slid the hand that was holding Ten’s leg to get a full grip on his ass and pressed again into him. 

“Fuck.” The wave of pleasure that traveled through Ten made him tip his head back into the bed and arch into Kun’s body. He must have done something right, touched him where he needed to be touched, because Kun’s head fell onto his collarbone and he bit at the sensitive skin. 

“Oh, God. Kun. Fuck, fuck.” Ten said. He knew he sounded desperate, but he didn’t care. He weaved a hand through Kun’s hair and pushed his head into the crook of his neck, urging him to keep mouthing and nibbling at his skin. 

Kun raised a shaking hand at Ten’s shirt, trying to undo the top button while kissing at his throat. He finally surrendered with a huff before pulling back completely from Ten. The younger man was about to protest the loss of contact when Kun spoke. 

“Off with the shirt,” he said, his command leaving no space for argument. 

God, Ten loved the confidence, the firmness in his tone. It almost made him shiver. While he laid on his back, processing the way the commanding side of Kun made him feel, the other man had reached down for his own shirt and started to unbutton it. 

“Yes, good thinking. Shirt off,” agreed Ten as he straightened himself back up and reached for Kun’s shirt. He all but batted the man’s hands away, shrugging the fabric off him, bringing his mouth to the dip between his pecs at his sternum. Instinctively it seemed, Kun brought a hand to Ten’s head and buried his fingers in his hair when Ten licked across the skin. 

“Fuck. Ten, oh my god.” He pulled the man’s mouth away from his chest. “I meant your shirt, you idiot.” The words held no malice. If anything, Kun sounded endeared. 

Ten fought back against Kun’s hold on his hair, putting his mouth back where it was. “Well, can’t blame me if I got distracted,” he answered in Kun’s skin before licking across his nipple.

Kun’s mouth popped open soundlessly, giving Ten a few precious seconds where he could latch his mouth at the bud. He was about to give it a suck when Kun pulled him back by the hair. 

“I said, shirt off.” 

Goosebumps erupted everywhere across Ten’s arms and neck. He lifted his eyes to Kun, making sure to look at the man through his lashes. Kun’s skin was beautifully flushed, and his mouth was red and swollen from kissing him. From kissing Ten. “Are you always so fucking bossy?” he said with a smirk. 

Kun smiled, leveling his face to Ten’s. He gazed down to his mouth. “Depends. Do you like it?” 

Ten plunged, kissing him fully, enjoying the press of Kun’s lip as he kissed back. “Yes, I do,” he said between two kisses. “I really fucking do.” 

Kun leaned back, pushing Ten away when the younger man tried to follow his movement. “Shirt off.”

Ten sighed in annoyance as he started to slowly, very slowly, undo one button after the other. Kun knew him well, too well it seemed, as he saw right through his strategy. “You are such a brat.”

Ten noticed how closely he followed each one of his movements. “Well, what are you gonna do about it?” questioned Ten before letting the fabric finally slide off his shoulders and then his arms. 

Kun splayed a hand across his sternum and pushed him until he was flat on his back. He straddled the younger man’s hips and lowered himself to whisper at his ear. “I’ve an idea or two.” Kun then reached out to grab Ten by the wrists and pin them down on either side of his head. Ten didn’t have the time for a clever retort that Kun had lowered his head to start licked and kissing across his throat. 

“Oh god.” Ten instinctively tried to reach out to grab Kun by the shoulders but the man had a secure grip around his wrists. “Kun,” he stuttered when he felt teeth grazing the most sensitive part of his throat. Ten instinctively rolled his hips up, trying to feel the friction where he needed it most. Kun answered in kind, pressing down onto Ten’s crotch. 

“Please, Kun. God. Please.” Ten’s pleas seemed to bring Kun back to the present. He unlatched himself from Ten’s neck in favor of Ten’s mouth. Kun let Ten kiss him sloppily, punctuating the sinful movements of his tongue with the rolling of his hips until Kun broke away. Ten heard himself whine at the loss, but Kun was already speaking. “Wait, wait.” 

Ten used the moment of distraction to slip a hand out of Kun’s hold and used it to bring Kun’s head down and crush their mouths together again. Kun grabbed his wrist again to pin it by Ten’s head. He raised himself from Ten’s half-naked body, breathless. “Shouldn’t we like, talk?” he asked. “I feel like there’s stuff to unpack, here.” 

Ten let out a sigh of frustration. He lifted his head to try to capture Kun’s mouth. When he failed, he rocked his hips into Kun’s, making the older man open his mouth, in shock or pleasure, he couldn’t tell. 

“Fuck now, talk later. How about that?” asked Ten before doing his best to roll his crotch against Kun’s again. 

“Are you… are you sure?” asked Kun, meeting Ten’s movement. 

“Yes. Yes, I’m pretty fucking sure right now.”

“I was just checking,” defended Kun. 

“Yeah, I know. I know,” answered Ten, desperate to be touched where he needed it most. “We’ll talk later. I’m not going anywhere. We live in the same appartment.”

That made Kun chuckle. He lowered himself, centimeters above Ten’s mouth. “I’ll need to talk about this,” he whispered into Ten’s mouth. 

Ten had no clue what it was about that sentence or the way Kun had said it, but every single hair on his body had risen. He arched up into Kun’s body, licked across his mouth, and answered, “Fuck me the way I need to be fucked right now, and I promise you all the conversations in the world.”

That spurred Kun into action. He lowered a hand to Ten’s pants to unbutton them before sliding a hand to Ten’s cock. Ten bit on his lips hard as Kun skimmed over his length with gentle fingers. Kun was hindered by their position, so he removed himself from on top of Ten to rid him of his pants. He pressed his face at Ten’s navel, kissing at the place on his stomach just above his boxers, hands spread on his waist. The look of devotion on Kun’s face at that moment almost made him lose his mind. 

Kun finally rid him of his last layer of clothing and instantly lowered his mouth to Ten’s cock. “Fuck” cried out the younger man. Kun licked across his length once and took him in his mouth, making Ten mumble a string of curses. Kun let go of him to kneel between his legs. Ten beckoned Kun to him and met him halfway for a series of dirty, full-mouthed kisses before he lowered his hands to Kun’s pants. “Off.” Kun got up again to discard them and his underwear at once before Ten dragged him back on the bed and settled himself on top of him. 

“If you tell me you don’t have lube right now, I’m gonna be really mad.” 

Kun blinked at Ten dumbly before pointing at his luggage. “Front pocket.” 

Ten looked at him in disbelief. “You brought lube? You packed to go on holiday with your best friend, and you brought lube?” 

Kun rolled his eyes at him but despite the theatrics, Ten saw his cheeks redden. Ten got up and as expected found a brand new bottle of lube in Kun’s luggage, along with an unopened box of condoms. Just as Ten was turning around brandishing both items, Kun defended himself. 

“Yukhei dropped by to give them to me before we left.”

Ten laughed as he crawled back over Kun on the bed. “He did?”

“Yes. He forced me to take them.”

Ten hummed. “Maybe he understood something we couldn’t yet.” He felt Kun’s gaze rake heavily across his figure.

Ten redirected his attention away from the bottle of lube to Kun’s face. He dipped lower and lower until he was almost pressing their lips together. “I’ll be sure to bring him back the nicest gift. He’ll receive a present for his birthday, and Christmas, and Easter, and-”

Kun shut him up with a kiss. He then took the bottle of lube from Ten’s hands and opened it up to squeeze some in his hand. “Do you… How do you-”

“Let me ride your fingers,” he decided. 

He saw Kun nod as he reached across Ten’s ass and slowly started to circle around his hole. Ten flattened himself on his chest. “Please, just please…”

Kun shut him up by pushing a finger inside him. He started moving slowly, adding lube when necessary. He only faltered in his slow pace when he felt Ten shiver where he was mouthing at his neck. “Is this good?”

“Yeah, yeah. S’good,” he dragged his mouth across Kun’s jaw. “Forgot how much bigger your fingers are. Put another one.”

Kun obeyed, moving both fingers slowly as a high-pitch whine escaped Ten at the added stretch.

“Tell me if it’s too much.”

“Fuck. Yeah I will. I fucking will. Don’t stop.” Ten got up on one elbow and grabbed Kun by the hair to kiss him hard. 

Kun kept his rhythm as he fingered Ten while the younger kissed him thoroughly. 

Ten wanted more. He got halfway up and braced himself on Kun’s chest. He rolled his hips back down on Kun’s fingers in a fluid motion and bit on his lips. He repeated the motion again, and again, and again until he was effectively fucking back on Kun’s fingers. It felt so good, Ten lost himself in the sensation, barely registering how Kun tried to meet him in his movement with the hand he had buried in him. Ten felt Kun’s other hand grab at his waist and press hard. Ten shifted slightly, rolling back onto Kun’s fingers when they pressed exactly where he needed them. He gasped loudly and moaned, hip stuttering and he almost lost balance where he was bracing himself on Kun’s chest. “Fuck!” He did it again, this time reaching toward the headboard to stabilize himself and his head lolled back in pleasure. A series of breathy “ah-ah-ah” escaped him as he continued his movements. 

“Fuck, Ten,” breathed the man below him. 

Ten lowered his head to see Kun stare at him in awe. He looked absolutely debauched, with messy hair, sweat collecting on his skin, and Ten wanted to taste all of it. He looked down to see that he was also painfully hard. Desire swelled in him and he only wanted one thing now. “I'm ready. I'm ready, Kun.”

Kun didn’t need to be told twice before he switched their positions, pushing Ten into the mattress and settling between his opened legs. Ten hiked one leg up behind his hip and almost flattened the other to the bed to give him more space. “Well, aren’t you a flexible one,” murmured Kun, palming Ten’s chest slowly, flicking Ten’s nipple as he did. 

“You have no clue,” whispered Ten. He wished he came across as teasing instead of desperate, but his words seemed to have an effect on Kun either way. 

“I hope to find out one day.”

Kun flicked his nipple again and Ten had to repress a groan. “Just fuck me already.”

Kun brought his mouth to Ten’s nipple, the one he’d been playing with. “He’s impatient, too.”

Ten keened under Kun’s attention. But he wanted more. “Do I have to beg? Are you into that?”

Kun smiled against him nipple. “What if I am?” 

Ten was starting to think that Kun actually meant it. Despite his carefulness, he had indeed manhandled him, and been in charge almost the whole time. Ten could only surrender to Kun’s touch when the man reached to tip his head in his direction, kissing his mouth, then his jaw to finally land on his throat. He continued his ministrations until Ten finally gave in. “Please Kun. I’m fucking desperate here. Please.” 

Kun hummed and finally, finally reached for the box of condoms. Ten raptly observed him as he rolled one along his length. He added more lube before he aligned himself with Ten’s entrance. He slowly pushed inside Ten, inch by inch, until he bottomed up. Ten tried to relax, taking him as best he could. Kun waited for him to adjust, brushing his hair out of his face and kissing at the corner of his mouth. Ten breathed deeply, adjusting to the stretch. It felt good, so he said so. 

“Yeah?” asked Kun.

“Really fucking good. Now please, please move.”

Kun obeyed, thrusting slowly in and out in a steady rhythm. This gave Ten the time to adjust to his size and to appreciate the sweet friction of Kun’s cock in him. Ten tightened the leg he had around Kun’s hip to beckon him to go faster, deeper. 

“Come on, I want more.”

Kun braced himself on his elbow and started to snap his hips forward more strongly, which made Ten positively moan. “Oh my god, Ten,” was all Kun said before Ten reached a hand across Kun’s shoulder and gripped hard. Ten tipped his head back, letting Kun fuck steadily into him, feeling the pleasure build with every firm thrust. He let out a deep, satisfied moan. Kun snapped his hips into him, making Ten’s back arch just enough to make him want more. 

“Yes, more. More more more…” he repeated. Kun listened and increased his speed. Ten was all but clawing at Kun’s back, letting moans fall out of him to the rhythm of Kun’s thrusts. He adjusted his leg again just in time for Kun to graze his prostate. Ten gasped, body arching into Kun. The other man barely let him recover that he was driving into the same spot again. “Ah-ah!” 

“God you look so good, baby,” Kun continued thrusting deeply. “You look so good like this.”

Ten threw an arm across his face, letting Kun’s words and motions drive him mad. 

“God, look at you.” Kun punctuated his words with a sharp snap of his hips. 

Ten knew the sounds he was making were completely incoherent, a mix of “yes”, “please”, “more” and “Kun” mixed with gibberish repeated over and over again. God, if he had known how Kun was in bed, Ten would have caved in to his desires much sooner. Right now, he let himself be handled by the man above him, the man who was bringing him over the edge. 

“Look at me, baby. Look at me."

Ten removed the arm across his face and blinked his eyes opened. Kun looked as if he was dead set on making Ten fall apart, eyes dark and purposeful, roaming across his face like Ten was the only other person in existence. Ten reached down to touch himself, pumping himself a few times to the rhythm of Kun inside him. Kun was getting sloppy, peppering his jaw with kisses. He fucked into Ten a few more times, hard and deep, and Ten came with a long and sinful moan.

Kun continued thrusting in and out of him, riding Ten through his orgasm. Ten was coming down from his own orgasm when he felt Kun snap his hips forward hard, once, twice, and finally come. He rode his own orgasm slowly, rocking into Ten as the man whimpered quietly under him. 

“Fuck,” was all Kun said once he settled on Ten’s chest, panting. 

“Yeah,” came Ten’s eloquent response. 

After a few moments, Kun pulled out and pushed himself off Ten. The younger man remained lying there as Kun removed the condom, and disposed of it in the trash can next to the bed. He then settled back next to him and reached over to pull him to his chest. He didn’t seem to mind the sweat or dried cum on his abdomen as he positioned Ten in his arms. 

“So,” said Ten, as Kun started playing with his hair, “you like being in charge, then.”

He felt Kun’s chuckles from where his face was resting on his chest. “Is it so surprising?”

Ten thought about that for a few seconds. “Actually, not really.”

Kun hummed. 

“It’s more kinda like wish fulfillment, really,” laughed Ten.

Kun choked. “Wish fulfillment?”

“I said what I said.” Ten nuzzled his face in the skin of Kun’s chest. 

“Well, I can give you more of that, if you want.” 

There was no way Kun did not feel him shiver. “Yes.”

“We need to talk,” added Kun, yawning. 

“That too.”

“Shower first, talk later?”

“Only if you wash my hair for me.”

“Last time I checked, I wasn’t your servant,” chided Kun, poking him on the shoulder with a finger. 

“Last time I checked you fucked me so hard I’m not sure I can stand right now. It’s the least you can do.”

“Jesus fuck, Ten,” answered Kun, burying in face in the younger man’s hair. “You can’t say things like that.”

“What? I can’t say you fucked me hard? If I remember, you made me beg for it-”

“Shower time?” interrupted Kun, pulling himself and Ten up. 

They washed the sweat and cum off each other and got dressed before tumbling back in bed. Ten dragged himself on top of Kun and they traded kisses until Ten felt his eyes starting to close. 

“Sleep first and talk later?” asked the older man. 

Ten nodded before pecking him on the lips again and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiii! so... umm... IT HAPPENED! i wanna know your thoughts on this chapter!!   
> i've updated early because I've got a job interview this week, wish me luck (ˆωˆ)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is my happy place

Kun woke up to the feeling of fingers tracing patterns on his chest over the t-shirt. As he blinked the sleep away, he realized he was being pressed down into the mattress by a heavy weight. He turned his head to be met by the most beautiful pair of eyes he knew.

"Morning," smiled Ten at him.

They were both entangled on Kun's side of the bed, Ten's leg thrown high on his waist. One arm already circling Ten, Kun reached down to grab a handful of thigh and hiked Ten up on his chest. The latter let out a child-like scream of surprise.

"Morning," answered Kun before kissing the man straight on the mouth.

"You brute," said Ten before giving him another long and sweet kiss.

He settled back down on Kun and resumed drawing patterns on Kun's sides. Kun observed him quietly. He was so beautiful like this. 

"Anything you'd like to do on our last morning?" asked Ten as he continued.

"We need to talk." The moment he said it, Ten groaned.

"We will. Breakfast first, talk later?" asked Ten, looking up to him.

Kun laughed. "No." He poked Ten at the waist when the man pouted at him. "You're not postponing this conversation indefinitely. Talk now."

Ten looked annoyed but nodded. 

Both men remained in silence for a long moment.

"That's going well," said Ten with an awkward huff, seemingly wanting to break the silence.

"You're gonna make me go first?" asked Kun nonplussed. When Ten diverted his eyes to the side, Kun knew it was up to him to initiate the conversation. He had kept his attraction, and ultimately feelings, for Ten hidden for too long. And with the night they had spent together, it was clear now that Ten had wanted him too, at least this one time. There was no going back from that. The possibility of having him like this everyday overpowered every other thought or fear he had. Yukhei's words came to mind: fucking go for it. Kun decided it was all or nothing.

"Okay," he said, trying to find the courage to say what he needed to say. "I don't think I can go back to normal. Not after this," he pointed at the two of them, the position they were currently in.

Ten was not looking at him but hummed to signify he heard him.

Kun's heart was beating furiously. He breathed in, then out. "So I guess..." he stopped, licked his lips nervously. "I guess what I'm saying is, I want you, Ten." He felt Ten breathe in sharply from where he was lying on top of him. "I want to have you this way. If you'll let me."

The younger man had turned his piercing gaze back to him. He stayed silent for a while, just observing Kun. "Okay," he finally said.

Kun waited for him to elaborate. When nothing came, he repeated, "Okay?"

"Yes, okay."

"That's it? I say I want you, and you say okay?"

"What else do you want me to say?" finally asked Ten, a smile etching itself on his face.

"You're the worst."

"Well, it's clearly working for you," replied the young man, mirth dancing in his eyes.

Kun shook his head in fond despair before he dragged Ten's mouth back to his. Ten kissed him back slowly.

"I want you too," he finally replied between kisses.

"Thank god," muttered Kun, an overwhelming mix of relief and happiness flooding through him.

He bit down on Ten's lip, and Ten obediently opened his mouth for him. Just as the kiss was starting to get heated, Kun pulled back. Right now, he felt on top of the world, with Ten sprawled on him, having told him he wanted him too. But it wasn't enough, there was more, bottled up, and he realized that all of it, all of the years, all that he had left unsaid was part of the conversation too.

So Kun settled back on the mattress and started brushing Ten's hair from his forehead.

"That day we met, when you walked into the dorm, I thought you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen."

Ten's eyes got so wide, it was almost comical. "What?"

"And then I was so annoyed because you looked so unbothered by everything. I hated it."

Ten huffed at that. "We both know I'm not unbothered."

"Yeah, I learned that later." Kun pushed a hand through Ten's hair, observed as the man closed his eyes at the movement. "We became friends, then best friends. You turned out to be one of the most important parts of my life."

"What are you saying?" asked Ten, completely taken aback by his admission. 

That was a good question. What was Kun trying to say? 

"That there was never anyone more important to me than you." Kun watched as Ten's mouth plopped open at the confession. Then, he frowned. 

"Liar," answered Ten, something akin to an accusation in his eyes. "Do you want me to remind you of your long-term girlfriend? You didn't need me then."

"Don't say that. I always needed you. More than anyone. If you want proof, well, Rosie and I are broken up, and you're right here."

Ten looked down, fingers still tracing unintelligible patterns over Kun's t-shirt.

"She hated me."

Kun laughed at that. "Yeah, I supposed she did."

Ten sent him an accusatory look. "So you acknowledge it! She did, didn't she?"

Kun nodded, biting his lips. "We broke up because of it."

Ten looked completely stunned. "You what?"

"We dated a large part of Senior year, right? So when we started to get closer to graduation, she said she wanted to move in together. Get our own apartment."

"Oh my god." Realization seemed to have descended upon Ten.

"I didn't want to live with her. I wanted to live with you. So I said no," shrugged Kun. The decision had not been a difficult one to take, but it had been a painful one for his girlfriend and himself.

Ten had lifted himself from Kun's chest partially, eyes round, mouth opened. "Why didn't you tell me?" He sounded frantic. "Why didn't you tell me then?"

Kun felt himself get strangely defensive. "You were hooking up with that guy! The other dancer!"

Ten slapped him on the chest. "Idiot! I was only hooking up with him because I couldn't have you!"

Kun was left speechless. "What?"

"Everything you said. Everything. It all applies to me too. From the day we met."

"You were dating what's-his-name when we met," protested Kun.

"He was a rebound from Johnny! Sure, I was with him when I met you. But then we became friends. It took me a while to realize how I felt for you, and god, I was so pathetic. I was talking about you constantly to everyone…"

"What?" Kun asked faintly.

"But I didn't think I should risk our friendship. Eventually, you got a girlfriend. When you asked that we lived together, I thought I could do this whole roommate thing, that I would eventually find someone like you for me."

Ten's words completely floored Kun.

"But I didn't. Because, surprise! The men I like are complete airheads," he said, pushing Kun on the forehead. The other man laughed and took Ten's hand in his. "You broke up with your ex, and I could see it was hard. You needed a friend, so I was there.

"You didn't say anything,…" started Kun.

"I didn't want to be a rebound or a convenient fuck-"

"No, don't say that," interrupted Kun. "You would never just be a convenient fuck. Not to me. Never."

"Well, there was no way for me to know that back then."

"God, I can't believe it. I can't believe we wasted so much time."

Ten looked back up at him and shrugged. "I swear you would have made a move on me the very day we met, and I would have let you."

Kun rolled his head back and groaned. "You had a boyfriend."

"He didn't matter. If you want proof, well, I've no clue where he's fucked to, but you're right here," parroted Ten back at him.

Kun's mind was completely blank, except for this new knowledge that he had wanted Ten for so long and that Ten had wanted him just as badly. "Okay," he finally said, pulling his thoughts together. "I know I'm like, years late on this, and that we've done everything in the wrong order." Ten, still splayed across his chest, arched an eyebrow at him. "We became each other's best friends, and we live together already, and I've faked dated you and kissed you in front of your whole family. But here it is: Ten, will you go on a date with me?"

Ten's smile grew so large on his face his eyes almost disappeared. "You mean like when you brought me to my favorite restaurant, and I got to have all your attention on me?" he teased.

"You already have all my attention on you most of the time."

"Fuck, Kun," replied Ten, hiding his face in the fabric of the t-shirt. "You can't say shit like that."

"But it's true."

"Oh my god-"

"Answer the damn question," chided Kun. "Don't keep a guy waiting."

"Yes," said Ten, raising his head to look at him. "Yes, I will go on a date with you."

"Good."

"Just good?"

"No, it's fucking brilliant. It's the best day of my life, really," answered Kun truthfully.

Ten groaned again, hiding the rising flush on his cheek with his hand. Kun didn't let him, bringing his face back up to kiss him instead. Ten melted at the touch, responding in kind to Kun's nibbling and licking. He pushed some of his weight off Kun using one hand and started exploring Kun's chest with the other. He pushed it underneath his t-shirt, grazing and touching the skin there, raking it up until the fabric got bunched underneath his armpits.

"What are you doin-"

Kun couldn't finish his sentence that Ten pressed hard with his palm on one of his pecs. Kun felt like a shock going through him and gasped in Ten's mouth.

"I've always liked your chest so much," murmured Ten against his lips. He kissed him, pulled on his lower lips with his teeth. "You're so well built. It used to drive me insane, seeing you change in our dorm room." Ten continued pressing his fingers down into the muscle there, rubbing his palm against the nipple.

"Fuck, Ten."

Said man straddled Kun's hips and placed both hands on Kun, grinding his palms against the two perked buds.

"I wanna ride you, Kunnie. Can I do that?"

Kun's head was swimming in a haze. He could feel himself getting harder by the second, the delicious pressure on his chest feeling just right, Ten speaking with his soft, aroused voice.

"Do you really think I'm gonna say no to that?"

His reply made Ten laugh. The man on top of him then rolled his hips back, brushed against his cock, and hummed. "Just making sure."

He got down to kiss Kun deeply before getting partially off Kun to rid him of his t-shirt and underwear. His cock sprung free, and Ten took it in his hand to pump it slowly.

"Shirt off. Take your shirt off, please," came Kun's plea.

Ten raised his eyebrows at him, questioningly, but complied. He also took off his boxer brief, sitting on top of Kun completely naked. "Like that?" he asked, before resuming his ministrations.

"Yes. Yes, I wanna see you." Kun reached over to place his hands on Ten's hips. "I wanna see you ride me."

Ten stopped then and eyed Kun. "You'll see me alright," he said before reaching over to the bedside table where they had tossed the lube and condoms the night before. Still straddling Kun's thighs, Ten squeezed a small amount of lube on his fingers and reached down to stretch himself open.

Kun's breath stuttered at the image in front of him. Ten placed a hand on Kun's stomach as he stretched himself open. Soft moans were falling from his lips. His eyes never left Kun.

"I'm-" Ten interrupted himself to let out another sigh. "I'm almost ready."

"Take your time, baby."

After a few more minutes of this, where Kun traced his hands anywhere he could reach on Ten – his thighs, his hips, his stomach – Ten finally took his fingers out and rolled a condom on Kun's length.

He added more lube to Kun, taking the time to pump him again. He then unceremoniously aligned Kun with his entrance and let himself sink in. Kun's mind went blank as Ten almost immediately started to rock slowly, drawing small circles with his hips. Kun could not take his eyes away from Ten's slender waist and the sight of cock disappearing inside him.

"Oh," said Ten, mouth rounded perfectly as he supported himself on Kun's pecs again, grinding his palms into him.

"Fuck, Ten."

The younger man started moving his hips up and down, sliding along Kun's cock slowly and letting himself fall on it. The sound of Ten's hitched breath and muffled noises made Kun want to take control and make the man above him lose his mind.

He took Ten's waist in his hands and was amazed at the sight of it, at how fluid and flexible he was. Kun folded one of his legs and pushed up into Ten as the man pushed back down.

"Ah-" Ten arched at the contact, reaching over to gain support on the headboard. "Fuck." Kun did it again, and another time, fucking back up into Ten until the man started bouncing on his cock.

"Oh god, oh god, Kun-" His hands supporting him clawed at the headboard, and it knocked noisily against the wall to the rhythm of the thrusts. Kun thanked the gods above that they were the only ones on this side of the house. He doubted he could ever look at Ten's mom in the eyes again if she heard any of that.

"Fuck," Ten said, suddenly pushing himself back up. He put both hands on Kun's navel and slowed down the roll of his hips until he was in full control again. Ten had his eyes half-closed, head tipped back, lips thoroughly bitten.

"God, I want to take you apart," groaned Kun as he rocked with Ten, pushing himself slightly deeper in the man. Ten moaned a breathy, broken sort of sound and replied, "not yet, not just yet."

Kun knew Ten would be the end of him.

Ten took his time rolling his hips languidly for a moment before he started to fuck himself back on Kun's dick. He did that for a while, unhurried. He then quickened his pace, bounced a little on Kun's cock until he was a stuttering mess before he slowed down again. "Yes, oh yes, it's so good."

Kun didn't know how much longer he could last, with Ten riding him so well, so he decided to take control. He slid his hands across Ten's thighs and hips, making sure to brush against his hard dick. Ten gasped at the touch, faltering in his tempo. He tipped forward slightly, just enough for Kun to hike up a leg and use it to thrust. Ten drew a sharp breath, which turned into a sinful moan. Kun snapped his hips again, and Ten went back to steady himself on the headboard. "Fuck, yes yes yes."

This time, Ten let both their bodies meet in a hurried pace, back arching with each well-placed thrust. "Come on baby," whispered Kun. He wasn't sure if Ten heard him over the sounds of the bed creaking and their own desperate and labored breathing. Another thrust and Ten's back arched again, his hand dropping to the mattress. "You're so good, baby, you're doing so well" said Kun just seconds before Ten stammered, "Fuck fuck fuck." Kun felt Ten clench around him as the younger man came untouched. The delicious pressure around him was all Kun needed to lose himself. His orgasm hit him so hard he blacked out for a second. He came to Ten rocking slowly above him. He slipped out of Ten before the other man became too sensitive and felt him go completely limp on his chest.

"Jesus fuck," breathed Kun. Ten did not answer, still catching his breath. He could feel his slight frame go up and down, breath starting to regulate. Kun ran a hand over Ten's sweaty back, feeling a shiver run across it. He hoped it was the aftermath of his orgasm, last waves of pleasure running like electric shocks across his body.

"Baby, I'll say this, and I mean it," Kun panted. "You can do that again literally whenever you want." He felt Ten's chuckle resonate where he was pressed against him. "Whenever you want. I mean it. Morning, afternoon, night. When I'm working, when I'm not. When I'm on the phone. Whenever."

"Glad to know I rocked your world right there."

"Fuck. You did."

They stayed in this position for a few minutes. It was difficult for Kun to focus on anything but the beautiful man who had turned his head towards his neck and was kissing him right above his collarbone.

"So, there's something you said yesterday…" started Kun.

"Mmh…"

"And I'd like to follow up on it."

Ten raised his head slightly, kissed at his jaw a few times, and asked. "What is it?"

"You said you were flexible." A pause. "How flexible exactly are we talking?"

Ten slapped him right on his sternum.

"Ouch!"

Ten leveled himself with him. "I fuck your brains out, and you still have the energy to think about how flexible I am?"

"Maybe it's because you just fucked my brains out that I cannot really think about anything else."

Ten squinted at him before leaving a kiss on his lips. Kun tried to chase after him, but Ten tutted.

Kun pouted at him. Ten relented another kiss.

"Here's a suggestion," Ten finally said with a sly smile. "I won't tell you. I think you should find out yourself."

"Fuck."

*

After a quick lunch with his mom and a drawn-out goodbye, Ten and Kun left that very afternoon, starting the few hours drive home. Ten took charge of the music, feeding them with the latest hits, dancing in his seat, singing softly. Once in a while, he would catch Kun glance in his direction, looking at him with so much affection it made Ten grow shy.

They stopped at the same rest stop they had on their way there. They picked sandwiches and drinks and sat down next to each other in the seating area. Ten was tearing his way through his sandwich, but Kun had taken his phone out, catching up on his unread texts.

"Oh my god," he suddenly said. He had opened the group thread and was scrolling through their friends' rambling. He turned to Ten. "They have no clue what's happened."

"What's happened?" said Ten through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Us. We happened." Kun turned back to his phone. "They're gonna flip out."

"Should we tell them now?"

Ten's sudden suggestion made the older man raise his eyebrows.

"Sure." He looked at Ten with a familiar glint in his eyes. One that made Ten know right away that he was up to no good. "Come here, I've an idea."

Kun angled his phone in their direction as if to take a selfie, so Ten positioned himself beside him. "A selfie isn't exactly gonna shock them…"

Kun turned his head, planting a kiss on his cheek, all the while taking photos.

He abandoned Ten to look through the shots he took. "Aw, that one is cute-"

"No," stated Ten. "No, no, no…"

"What?"

"That won't do. We're not in middle school. A kiss on the cheek? What is that supposed to do?"

Kun looked at him, unimpressed by his comment. "Then what do you suggest, oh almighty-Ten?" he answered with a mocking tone.

Ten took his own phone and angled it their way. "I suggest we give them something worthy to talk about." With his free hand, he turned Kun's head in his direction and dived for a deep kiss. He made sure to take several photos before breaking away. Kun's eyes were glazed over, and his lips were slightly swollen. Ten knew this would become his new favorite look on the other man very quickly.

With an innocent smile, he turned to check the photos he was able to click. Well, that's what they looked like kissing, Ten thought, as he scrolled through the images. He couldn't deny that they looked really good together. Ten was slightly smaller, just a little thinner, hair darker, skin paler. Next to him, Kun looked solid and real, more angular, definitely broader. And the kiss they shared looked positively steamy as if they had been second away from putting their hands on each other. Ten selected one of them and started typing in their group chat.

Ten  
Kun and I have got something to announce.  
[photo sent]

Ten heard Kun's phone vibrate. Kun unlocked it and immediately opened his mouth in shock. "Oh my god, Ten." Ten saw him examine the photo closely.

"What," shrugged Ten, nonchalantly. "We looked good, what can I say?" He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed obnoxiously. "They'll have to get used to it soon anyway."

Kun was looking at him in awe. They were brought back to reality the moment both their phones started buzzing at the same time.

"Oops, I think they saw," laughed Ten.

Yukhei  
!!!!!!!!!!!  
MAN  
is this for real?  
tell me this is for real  
jdilmsa,djniurl

Kunhang  
wtf is happening

Yukhei  
I'm so happy for you guys!!!

yangx2  
MY EYES  
I DIDN'T NEED TO SEE THAT

Yukhei  
fuck off  
it's the best thing to happen this whole goddamn year  
this whole goddamn decade

Sicheng  
Wait  
is that for real

Ten-ah  
Yep

Sicheng  
Just asking  
making sure you weren't just  
playing the part or wtv

Yukhei  
playing the part?

Ten  
in our defense  
all the other times we kissed until  
well yesterday  
all of that was acting

Yukhei  
all the other times you-  
wdym yesterday  
@kun explain

Sicheng  
omg I am so happy I can finally talk about this  
Yukhei  
it was horrible  
they kept  
flirting and touching and like  
groping each other  
right in front of everyone

yangx2  
omg  
please stop

Kun  
In our defense, we were fake boyfriends  
It made complete sense

Sicheng  
you guys almost hooked up  
in a bar  
in front of all of Ten's friends  
kun-ge you dragged him out of there so fast  
he didn't have time to say bye to a single person

Yukhei  
@kun  
you go boy

Sicheng  
he had his tongue so far down Ten's throat  
i was afraid he'd suffocate

Yukhei  
that's my man!

Kunhang  
i think I agree with @ yangx2  
please stop  
i don't wanna know this

Ten  
by the way  
thank you Yukhei

Yukhei  
thank me?

Kun  
Please don't

Ten  
for what you did  
or should I say  
what you bought

Yukhei  
I KNEW IT

Ten  
we made good use of it

Yukhei  
happy to be of service

Sicheng  
wtf are you talking about?

Kun  
Don't ask

yangx2  
i wanna leave this group chat

Kun  
Sorry yangyang  
I promise we'll behave

Ten  
don't promise that  
he'll have to get used to this

Before Kun could reply in the group chat, Ten interrupted him by swinging him around and pressed himself along the lines of Kun's chest. Instinctively Kun grabbed Ten by the waist and looked at him surprised when the younger man went straight for his mouth. This time, he hiked a hand up Kun's hair, gripping hard, and bit on the man's lower lip to make him gasp. After a few seconds of deep, satisfying kisses, Ten wrenched himself away from Kun to stare at his phone.

"Did you…" panted Kun. It took him a while to process what had just happened. "Did you just do that for photos?"

Ten chuckled at how breathless he sounded and turned to show him the image of the two of them, near pouncing on each other. Before Kun could react, he watched Ten press send.

"You didn't…"

Ten laughed as Kun immediately went for his phone.

Ten  
[photo sent]

Yukhei  
woooohoooooo!

yangx2  
I SAID MAKE IT STOP  
i don't wanna see my dad like this

kunhang  
oh no  
i've a feeling you'll be completely unbearable

Ten-ah  
yup  
get used to it

Sicheng  
I honestly saw so much of it these past few days  
I think I'm desensitized

Junjun  
YOU GUYS I WAS TEACHING WTF  
wtf wtf wtf  
ABOUT FUCKING TIME  
!!!!!!!!!!  
i'm so happy!!!!  
finally got your shit together ten?

Kun  
what?

Ten-ah  
nothing

Sicheng  
omg  
expose Ten!

Junjun  
looking forward to not hearing you ramble

Ten-ah  
stop it

Junjun  
about how attractive kun is when he's cooking

Kun  
what

Junjun  
or how good he looks wearing buttoned up shirts

Ten  
you stop now or I won't tell you anything that's happened

Junjun  
no!  
i'll stop i'll stop  
i promise  
i wanna know all the details

Yukhei  
this is great

yangx2  
wdym he looks handsome while he's cooking  
he looks like a dad

Ten  
exactly

yangx2  
ok no  
we're not going there

As their group chat continued to explode, Kun put his phone down and turned to smile at him. It was the type of broad, happy smile, that made his dimples show.

"Buttoned-up shirts?" is what Kun chose to ask.

Ten tried not to choke on his own saliva. "Hum, yeah. About that…" Ten said sheepishly.

"You like when I wear them?" pressed Kun.

Trying his best not to blush, Ten answered. "Your shoulders look really good in them. They look very… grabbable."

Kun's cheeks flushed red. "Oh."

"And when the fit is right, the fabric stretches across them…"

"Oh god." Kun hid behind his hands. "Please stop."

"You don't like to hear me talking about how hot you look in shirts?" asked Ten with fake innocence.

"Oh, I do," he chuckled. "Just not here."

His answer shut down any reply Ten had for him. "Oh."

"Should we resume that conversation back when we're at home?" Kun had lifted his head and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are we still doing here?" replied Ten, getting up from the table, gathering his leftover lunch. "Grab your sandwich baby, we've got places to go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second to last chapter is up! tune in one last time next week for the ending~~  
> i've been working on a secret project, and will announce it next week...  
> see you soon, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter <3 <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter <3

Going back to their old lives was both thrilling and anticlimactic. The first two weeks were spent trying to ease back into their routine. This included finding their rhythm again, like waking up early in the morning, trying to structure their days, doing laundry and groceries, being tired when back at home at night. It also involved trying to have dinner together in the evening, cuddling on the couch. It involved taking long showers together before Kun would push Ten in bed and put his mouth on him.

Kun’s bed had gone completely untouched for two weeks when Ten suggested they turn the room into an office.

“Are you sure?” Kun asked. “I mean, maybe we wanna keep a separate bedroom? Like, maybe you’ll get tired of me sleeping in yours.”

Ten looked at him, completely unimpressed. “I’ve lived with you now for four years. Believe me, I know I won’t grow tired of having you in my bed.”

Kun realized very soon that Ten had a unique talent for being bluntly honest one moment, and deadly shy the next. He would blurt out the most outrageous things but get coy on Kun whenever he said he was beautiful.

Ten was also very much like a cat. He could ignore Kun completely for the major part of the day, forego answering his messages or getting deeply engrossed or distracted by a project. Then, just as if something switched in him, and he would plaster himself against Kun, easily spending an evening with his face in his neck, breathing him in, kissing him gently.

For all the years he had been friends with Ten, they had barely touched each other beyond the occasional side hug. But now that this boundary had been crossed, Kun couldn’t imagine how he managed to spend so much time resisting all the little urges to strike Ten’s hair, touch his face, kiss him sweetly in the morning, and more passionately whenever Ten allowed it.

Their friends had been harassing them to meet them at their favorite coffee shop. It was a Saturday, and Kun and Ten had a lazy morning together in bed. When they decided to get up, they both opted to skip breakfast and go meet the boys directly at the location. They were walking hand in hand, which was something that still completely blew Kun’s mind but that he would never tell Ten.

They walked past a furniture store when Ten stopped. “Look!” He got closer to the display window and pointed to a fancy looking computer chair. “I thought you’d need something like that,” said Ten.

“What?” asked Kun, puzzled.

“For your office!” exclaimed Ten. “For when we settle you in the office space.”

“A chair? I’ve got a chair.”

Ten rolled his eyes at him, completely exasperated. “A good chair. You spend half your life on that chair. You need a good one. Something like this,” he continued, pointing at the chair. “It’s ergonomic. That way, I wouldn’t worry you getting back problems or tendinitis in your twenties-”

Kun interrupted him with a loud laugh. “Tendinitis?”

“Yes, tendinitis,” insisted Ten. “It’s when your tendons get irritated. You could get that in your elbow or our wrist, with all the typing you do. And don’t get me started on your posture-”

Kun pulled Ten to him and interrupted with a kiss straight on the mouth. Ten hummed in surprise but let Kun kiss him.

“What…”

“God I love you so much,” said Kun before giving him a peck.

Ten froze completely, eyes widening.

Kun realized belatedly what he had said. It was true, he thought. He did. He did love Ten. In the many, many ways a person can love. He fought down the panic that rose through him, deciding to push through with the truth.

“Oh. I didn’t mean to just… to just say it like that, I…”

Ten lunged forward, squeezing Kun’s face between two hands, and shut him up with a kiss. Kun’s sound of surprise was muffled by Ten’s mouth pressed hard against his.

“Wha-” he started as the other man pulled away.

“Shush,” whispered Ten, bringing their foreheads together. “Let me have this.” He remained there, in silence, and Kun could feel his uneven breathing on his face.

Kun circled his arms around Ten’s lithe waist and pulled him flush to him.

“Me too,” Kun heard him whisper softly.

“Yeah?” He answered, absolutely astounded.

Ten pushed him gently across the shoulder. “You don’t have to sound so surprised…”

Kun laughed brightly, keeping Ten firmly lodged against him. “Well, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”

“This?” questioned Ten.

“Having you.”

“Shut up,” said Ten before cutely ducking his head in Kun’s neck.

“What? It’s true.”

“Don’t speak to me like this.”

“I love you.”

Ten made a strangled noise from where he was pressing his face in Kun’s collar. He rose his head ever so slightly and said, in the smallest voice, “I love you too.”

Kun must have looked slightly strange, smiling broadly at the boy trapped in his arms in the middle of the sidewalk.

Ten straightened himself and peeked at Kun before burying his face again in his shoulder. “God, stop smiling like that.”

Kun laughed.

“Just stop. Stop smiling like that, stop looking at me like that.”

“Stop looking at you like what? Like I love you?” Kun bit his lips to stop himself from laughing again.

It was worth it when Ten trying to push him away. “You’re the worst.”

Kun resisted Ten’s attempts to free himself, hands clutching tightly at his waist. “I know.”

Ten looked flushed in the best of ways. When he realized he wouldn’t get free from Kun, he went limp in his arms. “Shall we go now?”, he said, trying to move Kun along in the direction of the coffee shop, where their friends would be awaiting them.

“Sure.” Kun took hold of Ten’s hand and let himself be ushered along.

When both boys entered the cafe and reached their friends’ table, they were instantly greeted with the loud whooping of Dejun and Yukhei, and the protests of Yangyang.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” shouted Yukhei as Kun and Ten approached the table. He was eyeing their linked hands with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Stop it, they’re just holding hands,” said Kunhang, being the voice of reason.

“The tamest, most vanilla thing I’ve seen them do in my day and age,” said Sicheng, looking long-suffering.

“Ah, shut up, we weren’t so bad,” countered Ten as he took a seat at the table. He pulled Kun to the seat next to his.

“You were caught in the drama of it. I was merely an unwilling witness. So much pining…” ended Sicheng, eyes glazed over as if recollecting a painful memory.

Kun settled in his seat, throwing an arm around Ten’s shoulder. Somehow, his movement had attracted the attention of all the men around the table.

“What?” he said defensively.

“Nothing,” answered Kunhang, eyebrows furrowed. “It’s just you guys were never really… tactile,” he shrugged. “It’s just gonna take some getting used to.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Yangyang. “I’ll never get used to that,” he completed, pointing at the hand Ten had put on Kun’s thigh.

“Enough about us,” interrupted Ten before the conversation got out of hand too quickly. “Tell us about you guys. What have we missed these past weeks?”

Yangyang launched himself at the detailed retelling of his latest mid-term debacles, involving alarm malfunctions, lost phones, and pens running out of ink. As all boys chipped in, laughing at Yangyang’s misery, recollecting their own trouble with their current or past exams, Kun was looking at Ten’s smile. He was still feeling high from their confessions, from their closeness, from the growing intimacy he felt between them. He let the arm he had around his shoulder drop to his waist, rubbing at it warmly. Ten hummed pleasantly and turned to him, only to catch Kun staring. He smiled coyly at Kun’s unwavering gaze and reached out to kiss him softly. When he pulled back, Ten mouthed silently, only for Kun to see, the three words that made his world go round.

“Aw!” exclaimed Dejun at the same time as Sicheng went. “See! This is what I had to put up with for a whole weekend!”

Both Kun and Ten laughed as Yangyang screeched.

“You better get used to it,” was all Kun said before pulling Ten closer to his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been an amazing experience, and I am so grateful for all of your comments and feedback!  
> i hope you guys are safe, and that you enjoy the holidays <3
> 
> also, i've got a surprise: next Wednesday, I'll be starting a Kunten ABO fic. It'll run at least 10 chapters, updated weekly, and will be yet another friends to lovers college au with plenty of miscommunications and sexy times ^^
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed MoAL, and that you will enjoy my next fic too!


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